CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: In a decisive crackdown to decongest National Highway-6, Ri-Bhoi district police have directed heavy trucks to park along Sonapur Road instead of on the highway stretch between Byrnihat and Jorabat. The move aims to end chronic traffic snarls caused by illegal parking.
Senior Superintendent of Police Vivekanand Singh Rathore, who is leading the enforcement drive, said the decision was taken because Sonapur Road has relatively little traffic and few residents. "They can turn below the Jorabat flyover and park their vehicles on the Sonapur side of the highway. This will relieve congestion on the Meghalaya side and remove the bottleneck caused by illegal truck parking," he said.
The SSP issued a stern warning to garage owners encroaching on the highway. "We have observed that some motor garages repair vehicles on the side of the road, and those vehicles again occupy part of the national highway. That is illegal. If you do not have parking space, do not open a garage on the highway. Repair vehicles only where you have parking that does not obstruct normal traffic flow. If you block our highways, we will take action - including shutting down shops if they do not relent. We will invoke our powers to do so," Rathore said.
Rathore stressed that while authorities sympathise with the hardships faced by truck drivers, safety remains paramount. "We sympathise with them because truck drivers have a very tough life, but at the same time please be responsible - one wrong parking can lead to an accident and an innocent life could be lost," he added.
Describing the enforcement activity, Rathore said, "We have been conducting a series of traffic enforcement drives for the past two to three weeks. Today we focused on the Byrnihat-Jorabat sector of NH-6, where a common complaint is that trucks are illegally parked on the highway and block more than half of a lane, causing many vehicles to get stuck."
Rathore said the police have already cleared nearly 70 percent of illegally parked trucks. "Some trucks were broken down and were being repaired, so they could not be moved. We will send our patrol teams roughly every one to two hours to check. This drive will continue for the next five to six days, with patrols at least four to five times a day by various units of Ri-Bhoi police," he said.
The SSP also cautioned heavy vehicle drivers against occupying highway lanes. "Do not park on national highways between the two white lines - those lanes must be kept free for normal traffic. We will be strict: if we find your truck parked between those white lines, we will issue a challan. The first challan will be a smaller amount; subsequent challans will be higher, as provided by law," Rathore warned.
Also Read: Sanbor Shullai to visit Dhaka to restore statue of freedom fighter U Tirot Sing Syiem