The office of the Syiem of Hima Sohra inspected the road maintained by it in Majai on Saturday.
M Majaw, Myntri of Hima Sohra, said during the inspection that the road from Umdud to Zero Point is in a deplorable condition.
“There are potholes on the road and people are finding it difficult to even walk on them,” Majaw said.
He said that the office of Hima Sohra is concerned about the road and maintains it every month.
Majaw said that the office of Hima Sohra has appointed a contractor to maintain the road and he is paid Rs 5 lakh per month.
“Since we are responsible for its maintenance we are concerned about its condition and during our inspection today we found out the road is bad,” he said.
According to him, it has been seen with their own eyes that many trucks are using this road and he suspects that they are carrying more than the permissible limit of 12 tonnes.
Majaw said that the exporters of limestone and other minerals transported to Bangladesh pay tax to Hima Sohra and through this the road is maintained. However, if Hima Sohra does not get the tax, it cannot guarantee the maintenance of the road.
“If we are not able to maintain it, the road at some point will be unfit for vehicles to ply and exports may get affected,” Majaw said.
There has been a three-way fight regarding the road, with the state government, through the district administration, ordering a halt to the collection of tolls by Hima Sohra in May. Hima Sohra then called for a shutdown of the road. The dorbar shnong of Majai has also been involved, demanding why the road was in such poor condition when Hima Sohra collected the tolls.
