The State government has asserted that due process had been followed in acquisition of the land for widening of Shillong-Dawki road.
The stand of the State government was expressed by its lawyer S Sen during hearing in the Meghalaya High Court on October 17 of the writ petition filed by the Dorbar Shnong Mawshun against the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and the State government.
Sen also produced documents indicating that due process had been followed in acquisition of the land for widening of Shillong-Dawki road. He also requested the High Court to allow him to place the same on record by way of affidavit.
The Dorbar Shnong of Mawshun village under Pynursla civil sub-division has asked the State government to alter the planned route of the Shillong-Dawki road which is being implemented by the NHIDCL.
The villagers say that the alignment for a by-pass, which was finalised by the NHIDCL, would destroy around seven water sources, some of which flow throughout the year.
In July this year, the Dorbar Shnong of Mawshun had protested the alignment for the bypass.
According to villagers, in 2016 there was a meeting wherein it was decided that there will be no by-pass in the village but, in 2017, they received information that there had been a survey at the present site with an intention to construct a by-pass.
The Dorbar Shnong had sent a representation to the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills as well as local MLA and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who holds the PWD (Roads) portfolio, suggesting that the road for the Shillong-Dawki road should run along the existing road.
Stating that the road is broad enough for expansion, the villagers said if the government wants some more land to expand this road further, the villagers are willing to part with their land.
A Social Impact Assessment study was conducted by the Meghalaya Institute of Governance with regards to acquisition of land for the purpose of road widening of NH-40 Shillong to Dawki road from Siatbakon village to Umsyiem village.
The road covers a total road length of around 27 km and passes through eight villages. The widening of the road will be limited to the existing Right of Way (ROW) as much as possible. The public right of way (PROW) for the third package of land acquisition includes the creation of two by-passes.
The first by-pass is at the beginning of the Siatbakon village and includes the linking of two stretches of roads over a steep gorge and would omit a very sharp curve in the road. The second bypass is called the Mawshun by-pass. It starts at Pongtung village and ends at the intersection between Pomshutia village and the road leading to Lapalang village. This project would also include the Dawki realignment road.
The road project is under the scheme “North East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase III” with loan assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
