SHILLONG, JUNE 24: The Meghalaya High Court has decided to monitor the progress of the road construction in Garo Hills.

The matter pertaining to the poor condition of the Agia-Medhipara-Phulbari-Tura (AMPT) road and the poor condition was taken up during the hearing on a PIL by AH Hazarika on Friday.

In the course of the proceedings, the state had indicated that measures had been taken to undertake temporary repair work of the bad stretches, applying for sanction of adequate funds, engaging contractors to undertake works in some stretches and issuing notices inviting tenders for other stretches.

The state has also submitted some documents which indicated that the temporary measures have already been taken, though the road may not be complete in any sense; but every attempt has been made to make it somewhat motorable, some of the documents pertain to work orders being issued for some stretches and notices inviting tenders being floated.

The recent heavy pre-monsoon and early monsoon rains must have destroyed the unmetalled surface to the extent that it may have been repaired earlier.

The court however said it is hoped that the measures now taken by the State are implemented as expeditiously as possible to provide basic access to persons living in the region and those needing to use the road on a regular basis.

Directing the petitioner and the state to report on the extent of work undertaken, the court said that it will monitor the progress of the road construction, particularly since several of the sub-divisional towns in the Garo Hills districts are not connected by metalled roads even to the district headquarters.

“A concerted attempt has to be made to provide basic access, particularly in the hilly terrain as the local residents have no other alternative,” it asserted.

Referring to the report of the petition that the stretch of the AMPT Road between Rajabala to Hallidayganj is completely unusable, the court has directed that immediate attention should be paid to undertake temporary filling of the potholes along such stretches so that basic access, even at slow speed, is provided till the construction of the road is completed.

The next hearing will be held on July 22.