Meghalaya: Residents of four villages in West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, staged a protest on the Riangdo-Hahim road on the night of November 28.
The villagers from Umsohpieng, Myndo, Mawtirang, and Pursohan demanded that the state government take action against overloaded trucks that are damaging the newly constructed road.
The villagers expressed their concerns, stating that the road, which was recently constructed after 19 years, is still incomplete and stretches from Riangdo-Athiabari-Hahim-Boko. However, overloaded trucks, especially those carrying coal, are using the road, which may cause damage and disrupt the villagers’ lives. Dering Tyrsa, a resident of Umsohpieng village, emphasized that the villagers have no issues with trucks that maintain the prescribed weight limit, but overloaded trucks pose a significant risk to the road’s durability.
The villagers pointed out that completing the road between Assam and Meghalaya will benefit the people of both states, particularly during medical emergencies. They have faced difficulties in transporting patients to hospitals in Boko, Assam, or Nongstoin, Meghalaya. The under-construction road has brought new hope, and the villagers have requested the government to take necessary actions against overloaded trucks to prevent damage to the road.
The Riangdo-Athiabari-Hahim-Boko road connects two districts: West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya and Kamrup in Assam. It also links two state highways: the Tura-Shillong Highway in Meghalaya and the Guwahati-Goalpara Highway in Assam. According to police sources in Meghalaya, regular inspections are conducted using weight bridges in collaboration with officials from the Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR) to monitor truck weights.
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