The state government has urged the authorities concerned to speed up the payment of compensation to owners who parted with their land for widening of the Shillong-Dawki Road.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had a meeting today with officials of the Revenue, Forest and Public Works Departments and East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner on the matter.
“Hopefully within a few weeks time we would be able to clear all the awards to the genuine landowners for the entire stretch of the widening of the Shillong-Dawki Road,” Tynsong said.
He also informed that there are a few portions where claims and counter claims of ownership have cropped up and the DC has been tasked with reaching a solution.
The road project is being funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at an estimated Rs 1,251 crore.
The widening of National Highway 40 from Shillong to Tamabil links Meghalaya with Bangladesh.
The 71 kilometre long NH-40 will be converted into four lanes for around 15km from Umshyrpi bridge in Shillong to Bañiun at 7th Mile, Upper Shillong.
The widening includes construction of a new bridge over the Umngot River at Dawki as the existing single lane 136m suspension bridge (built during British rule in 1932 to connect then Bengal and Assam) is old and unable to support heavy vehicles. The new bridge will be almost three times the length, at 368m, and 12.5m wide.
