Shillong, Jun 4: The Meghalaya High Court has directed the National Highway Infrastructural Development Corporation (NHIDCL) to give details about the fate of students of a school at Mawlieh which has been vacated due to widening of the Pynursla road.
It may be noted that the school which sits on top of a hill at Mawlieh is on the verge of collapse due to excavation work by the contractor engaged to widen the road.
A division bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh yesterday directed the NHIDCL to depute an officer to visit a school.
The NHIDCL said measures have been taken for construction of a retaining wall at the school site, at the vulnerable location. On this, the court asked the NHIDCL to submit photographs of the retaining wall and the school to be placed at the next hearing on June 24.
In its report, the NHIDCL said it had sought details from the Deputy Commissioner whether the children had to discontinue their education because of the said school being vacated; the total number of children who were enrolled in the said school; and, the number of children, if any, had to discontinue their education after shifting of the school.
The court also perused the report submitted by the NHIDCL on measures taken to enhance road safety along the Shillong -Dawki road expansion site, which has resulted in the loss of lives.
The court agreed to wait for further reports containing photographs.
The NHIDCL said it has decided to conduct a thorough investigation concerning road widening options at high-risk locations, as advised by Ashish D. Gharpure, a specialist from Hill Road. A letter was sent to IIT Guwahati on May 27, 2026 for a detailed assessment, and it is awaiting their response. Officials of the NHIDCL assured the court that they will meet with IIT professors soon.
The NHIDCL in its submission stated after the court directive, there has been progress in replacing temporary signage with standardised, retro-reflecting warning signs in line with IRC guidelines. The contractor is also enhancing safety measures by installing strong physical barricades at vulnerable locations to improve visibility.
While the NHIDCL stated that it has directed the contractor to deploy trained flagmen alongwith effective traffic management at multiple active locations to manage/control the flow of traffic to ensure safety to the commuters, the court sought a report observing that whether the directions are being complied with by the contractor or not.
The court also advised the NHIDCL to hand over a new ambulance to the district administration, within four weeks to enable the district administration to park the said ambulance to provide medical assistance at strategic areas.
The NHIDCL has also been directed to provide data of the approximate number of vehicles that pass through the area every day and the purpose for which they are required to ply.
