The debris brought down by severe rain on the Shillong Bypass last week will require another three days to clear and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has therefore requested the Meghalaya government to permit stranded goods trucks to reroute through Shillong city on their way to Mizoram, Assam’s Barak Valley, Manipur and Tripura.
A major landslide struck Thangshalai in East Khasi Hills on September 26, bringing travel on the bypass to a halt, which negatively affected connectivity to the three North East states and Barak Valley of Assam.
The landslide began at a stone quarry, with debris spilling over on to the road. The massive boulders that were hurled onto the bypass have proven a challenge to NHAI to clear, an official said today.
“It will take another three days to completely clear the debris from the bypass. At the moment, we cannot take a chance by allowing the vehicles to move through the bypass,” an official said.
The 47 kilometre Shillong Bypass starts at Lad Umroi in Ri-Bhoi and rejoins the national highway at Mawryngkneng in East Khasi Hills. The bypass was constructed at a cost of Rs 220.35 crore and has reduced traffic congestion on the narrow national highway that passes through the state capital.
