Tura: In a few months, Meghalaya will head to elections and the wind of electoral democracy has started blowing all over the state. But amid all the hope the electorate may, or may not, have, the truth is clear: whoever comes to power in 2023 must stop talking and start paving the road to take Meghalaya into the present century.
And they might as well start with roads, especially in Garo Hills.
Garo Hills offers visitors several things: a wonderful, almost mind-boggling mix of cultures, breathtaking beauty, and a region with a rich history.
What it does not offer are roads. Ask the region’s residents, who believe their region has one of, if not, the worst infrastructure in the country, with rural connectivity the main concern.
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The district of South Garo Hills is the worst affected in terms of infrastructure, with NH 62, which runs through the district, in shambles. If you add the road connectivity in Chokpot and Rongara – Siju to the mix, one would think the state is still living in the 1980s instead of the present year. Only mobile phones and modern cars give it away which is in the ‘modern’ era.
In Chokpot, the PWD road connecting it to the NH – 51 has been a major concern for the people. Despite Meghalaya achieving 50 years of statehood this year, this stretch remains incomplete.
“Contracts are given for repairing or restoring parts of the almost 50 km road that runs through the various villages under Chokpot C&RD Block. Despite pleas being made to the government as well as the local councillors, the situation has not changed. This has caused us immense hardship as travelling takes a major part of our lives due to the nature of the roads,” said a Chokpot resident.
While there have been contracts for road projects, they are never completed on time. When the projects do see the light of day, the quality is so bad that they fall apart, sometimes a month after completion.
Take the example of the road connecting Chokpot to neighbouring Gasuapara, about 30 km away. The road remains incomplete despite thousands living and working on the route. The situation has become so untenable that during the monsoons, residents leave their cars near the junction under a government office compound due to the road being unusable during the monsoons.
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“You should come and see some of this road during the monsoon. Four-wheel vehicles are passé and even motorcycles can only navigate through some parts. Imagine the situation we face when even people walking on the road fall due to the slippery nature of the road. Business and markets have become a pipe dream for us and have been so for more than 40 years now,” informed a resident during a visit to the area.
There are similar complaints about roads in other parts of the district. The flash floods this year have not helped, with many parts of South Garo Hills completely washed away, leaving residents stranded. Efforts to provide relief too had to wait days as connectivity was damaged.
“Unless someone takes a serious look at the infrastructure issues faced by us, we will not be able to breathe a sigh. The good news is that many projects, including the Baghmara – Ranikor road (under construction) and the NH – 62 (expected to start soon) are in the offing. The South Garo Hills needs all the help it can get from governments for it to match the rest of the state,” felt SR Sangma, a Baghmara resident.
For North Garo Hills, the main issue has been the continued delay in the construction of the 36 km stretch between Damra to Bajengdoba and the Adokgre – Mangsang road.
Badri Rai and Company (BRC), which won the contract for the Damra – Bajengdoba road, began the project as early as 2019 but despite the short stretch, never-ending delay continues to cause angst among the local populace. Allegations of contractors being provided almost 60% of the project cost, without even doing 30% of the work, have led residents to believe the project may not see completion in their lifetime. The company, however, has promised to finish the entire route by May end of 2023.
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The ill-fated Adokgre – Mangsang – Rongjeng route has an even more torrid history. Sanctioned during the tenure of the Congress-led government in 2017, the road is now in jeopardy of never seeing the light of day after one of the government agencies withdrew funding. This meant an otherwise usable road turned into a completely useless one.
“You can’t use the road. Forget summer or winter, the fact is that you cannot use the road beyond a point and commerce, which was always flourishing, has now hit a roadblock due to the road being dug up and not redone. Our hope was for a better future but now we can only see darkness,” felt a resident of Mangsang, Bamba Sangma.
The Mendipathar – Snogsak road too is in a state of complete disrepair as the road has not been provided maintenance over the years. Some patches are currently being filled with mud to maintain their workability.
As far as rural, interior roads go, the situation has not gotten any better despite the many PMGSY roads sanctioned and being built. Many areas still struggle to ensure a working road that the public can use.
In West Garo Hills, the main area of concern has been the delay in the completion of NH 51 between Dalu and Tura. The highway, under the NHIDCL, began work in 2018 after it was approved by the previous government. However, almost five years into the project, almost 50% of the 48 km road remains incomplete. The fact that it is being done under the NH projects and still remains in its current state has set tongues wagging on the reasons.
The AMPT road, as always deserves a mention as not only is it one of the most widely used roads of the entire Garo Hills region but also one of the worst to travel on. This year has not changed much in terms of how people feel while travelling the route though efforts are now on to repair it. Many sections, including the ones between Sign Board to Nidanpur, are currently under repair and are being used with much cursing.
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On the same route, the stretch between the villages of Rajabala until Gonglanggre guaranteed a muscle-crunching massage with every trip. This was even after the High Court ordered the state for the repairs to be undertaken under its watchful eyes.
If one wants to complete a review of road infrastructure in Garo Hills, it cannot be complete without the mention of the Hill road between Rongram to Phulbari where decades had passed before a new road was sanctioned in early 2021. What is alarming on the route is the fact that despite promises made by the CM, Conrad Sangma, of the road being fast-tracked for the sake of rural development, the contractors (BRC again) have sat on the sidelines.
What is even more infuriating is that the Public Works Department has given more than Rs 77 crore even though hardly anything has been done on the ground. The withdrawal of so much money even prompted the opposition to question the NPP-led government on favouritism shown to some while other contractors struggle for payments despite completing their work.
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“Questions need to be asked of this government as to why they are favouring some firms in doling out money for work they have not even completed while local contractors are struggling with bills that have been pending since the government began its tenure. This has to be explained by the department and the government in question,” felt Mukul Sangma during an interview a month ago.
The other two districts, East and South West have road infrastructure which also needs attention, but most of the roads are workable. the exception is the Ampati – Mahendraganj section of the road, which was good until the government allowed heavy vehicles with an overload of stones for export into Bangladesh. Most of the road now has become a traveller’s nightmare.
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