The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has promised to attend to the dreadful condition of National Highway 6 but has yet to make improvements, the Meghalaya High Court said today.
The Division Bench of the High Court was hearing a PIL by Kynjaimon Amse against NHAI.
The bench said that it is a matter of serious concern that despite the contrary representations made by NHAI to the court that the stretch of NH-6 from Jowai to Ratacherra is in good condition, except for around the Sonapur tunnel, the reality is different and that there has been colossal inaction.
“For the nearly 2-km stretch as the NH-6 winds through Khliehriat town it may not be surprising to see local gentlemen with fishing rods on the side waiting for a spot of rain to allow them to indulge in fishing in the craters along the way, the Court said.
“Beyond Khliehriat the road almost does not exist and there have been repeated complaints by local residents and the district administration and even a committee of MLAs to the NHAI, but to no avail,” the Court added.
The highway is a crucial connection to eastern Meghalaya as well as the Barak Valley, Tripura and Mizoram. The dismal condition of the road has led to many accidents, injuries and even loss of life. The bench noted that it does not appear as though adequate money has been allocated to carry out regular repairs and that tenders for repair have seen few takers.
The court ordered the regional head of NHAI to drive along the stretch of highway and file a report. The present condition is totally unacceptable, monsoon or otherwise, it added and NHAI has to explain why the North East “has to suffer such colossal inaction.”
