Shillong, Jan 5: Deputy Chief Minister in-charge PWD (Roads) Prestone Tynsong has asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to take immediate action after appearance of sign of cracks on the Sonapur bridge over Lukha River in East Jaintia Hills District.

After chairing a meeting here on Wednesday, Tynsong told reporters that the meeting held with the project director of NHAI and PWD (Roads) officials was to discuss the condition of the Sonapur bridge as there seem to be sign of cracks.

“I have asked the project director of NHAI to collect all the detail information as well as to take immediate necessary action at the earliest,” he said.

Tynsong informed the experts from Delhi have also arrived in the state and are already on the way to Sonapur for detailed examination of the bridge and for giving recommendation on how to go about it.

The bridge, which is around 100 meters, was constructed by the Army BRO and is the only lifeline which connects Meghalaya with Southern Assam, Mizoram and Tripura as well as serving as the alternate route to Nagaland and Manipur.

Tynsong further informed that the district administration of East Jaintia Hills has already issued necessary restrictions on the vehicular movement.

“…the permissible limit of those commercial vehicles from or going outside Meghalaya needs to be at least adhered to,” he added.

Four-laning of Shillong Jowai road

On asked about the steps taken by the department to prevent traffic jams along the Shillong-Jowai road, the deputy chief minister said, “In fact right now the government of India through the Ministry of Road Transport had already handed over this project from the flyover at Umiam upto the border of Assam, the intention is to convert the double lane road to four lane.”

“So now it is the job of the NHIDCL to go for the survey and detailed DPR has to be prepared by them,” he added.

Recently, vehicles were stranded for over eight hours due to traffic jams at Puriang – Mawryngkneng area.