The Meghalaya High Court has today strongly pulled up the Meghalaya government for its failure to reply on how it proposes to address the issue concerning the Umiam Bridge, particularly, with regard to the safety and security of the citizens using the bridge and also the timeframe for completion of the Western Shillong By-Pass and widening of Shillong – Diengpasoh road.
“In our order dated 1st April, 2021, we had raised two issues and directed the State government to respond to the said two issues on the next date. We are yet to get a specific response from the State government in this regard. In this context, we make it clear that we do not require any voluminous affidavit from the State government. We simply want them to respond to the two issues raised by this court, as contained in the order dated 1st April, 2021, on or before the next date,” the division bench of Chief Justice Biswanath Somadder and Justice Hamarsan S. Thangkhiew said today.
“In the event, the State government is unable to provide a specific and satisfactory response on the next date, we shall be constrained to pass appropriate directions to secure the personal appearance of the competent authority of the State government who is responsible to give a specific and satisfactory response to the two issues raised by this Court as contained in the order dated 1st April, 2021. List this matter after a fortnight for further consideration,” the High Court said.
It may be recalled that the affidavit affirmed by the Chief Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya on December 10, 2020 does not reveal any timeframe within which construction of the Western Shillong By-Pass and widening of Shillong – Diengpasoh road will be completed.
Further, in the affidavit affirmed by the Chief Secretary, the State government has not provided any assurance to the citizens using Umiam Bridge with regard to its safety so that no untoward mishap takes place in the near future.
According to the High Court, this assurance by the State government is required for the simple reason that until the two alternate roads (Western Shillong By-Pass and Shillong – Diengpasoh road) are completed, citizens using Umiam Bridge (which is more than 50 years old) are at high risk since it is already overloaded and overburdened with a heavy flow of traffic.
