Shillong, Jul 16: After several citizens shared videos on social media of cracks having been found on the pedestrian walkway near the Umshyrpi bridge, authorities today blamed these on the parking of heavy vehicles at the edge of the road.
Officials said that the contractor has been asked to put up a metal crash barrier 1 metre away as per guidelines to prevent heavy vehicles from parking at the edge of the road.
As per regulations, vehicles are not to be parked on the edges of highways but this rule is frequently flouted in Meghalaya.
On the recent videos of undulation on the four-lane road in Umshyrpi, authorities said that this was due to improper compaction. However, these defects cannot be fixed now because of the ongoing monsoon. An official explained that the contractor has been told to fix the problems as soon as the monsoon ends.
This is a contractual obligation of the contractor since the company has to maintain it for five years. Bills will be cleared only when the defects are rectified as per provisions of the contract agreement.
Meanwhile, authorities also informed that a polycover provided over the slope for erosion protection is being damaged by people who walk along the slope to the valley below. This movement tears the polycover and also disturbs the slope, which may lead to erosion, especially during the rainy season.
This project is part of the much larger Shillong–Dawki Road project, covering a distance of 90km with a total cost of Rs 1,377.5 crore. The project involves construction of a four-lane road from Umshyrpi to Umtyngngar and two-lane road from Umtyngngar to Dawki.
