Lawyers group moves court to remove rumble strips on NH-15

From our Correspondent

MANGALDAI, July 27:  A group of six lawyers of the Mangaldai Bar Association led by eminent lawyer-cum-consumer and social activist Jayanta Deka has moved the Permanent Lok Adalat  in Darrang district against the Deputy Commissioner, Darrang, the Executive Engineer of PWD, tiol Highway Division at  Rangiya and the District Transport Officer of Darrang against the illegal construction of  rumble strips / humps or stiff speed breakers on eight different places of the stretches of NH-15 passing through Mangaldai town violating the provisions of tiol Highways (Land & Traffic ) Act 2002.

The group of lawyers in their petition filed under section 22 (C) of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 have pointed out that eight sets of rumble strips / speed breakers (10 in each set) raised on the NH-15 in between Mangaldai Don Bosco High School and Mangaldai College covering a distance of around four kilometers are not as per specification of Indian Road Congress (IRC) known as ‘Code-99’ for road humps of minor roads. Few important features of a rumble strip on minor road as specified in the said Code are that it must be of Parabola shape with a central height of 10 cm, width of 3.5 metre and of length same as road width. Moreover, road humps must be painted in ‘V’ shape and illumited by solar cat’s eye to make it visible during night hours. These specifications are applicable only in case of minor roads. But there is no provision of any rumbles strips/speed breakers or humps on the tiol Highways.

The attention of the court has been drawn by the petitioners to the provisions in the control of the tiol Highways (Land & Traffic) Act, 2002 and other relevant laws which permit the authority to raise any humps irrespective of any specifications. It has also been pointed out in the petition that the authority not only has violated the law in the connection with the tiol Highways, it has failed to maintain the norms for construction of humps even in case of minor roads.  Advocate Jayanta Deka and his six other associate petitioners ,mely Mril Kr th, Sailendra Deka, Jatin th, Kalpa Deka, yanmoni Deka and Nirod Deka have observed that the humps on the NH have been constructed in rather unscientific manner which led to rattle the spil cord of the motorists, bikers or passengers frequently visiting the areas. The petitioners seeking for settlement of the matter through conciliation have expressed that it is the high time to give a rest to the spine being rattled by these speed breakers. The petition before the court has reportedly come up following strong public resentment as people especially senior citizens, women and children who very often move through the road length only to experience severe jerks in their bodies raising every possibility of creating interl damage to the spine or cervical vertebrae. Moreover, pregnt women coming to Mangaldai Civil Hospital or other health institutions for medical attention from various corners of the district allegedly have to overcome some horrible moments due to these series of unscientific rumble strips.

Moreover, the residents along the NH allegedly pass sleepless nights on a regular basis due to the earthquake-like vibration developed from running of speedy multi axle goods laden vehicles over these humps during night hours. In addition to that the residents expressed doubt of developing some physical cracks in their residential buildings as they always feel the vibration out of the movement of heavy vehicles.  

Meanwhile, in response to the petition of the lawyers group, the court has already registered a case vide No-PLA 2/15. On the other hand, Assistant Executive Engineer of  PWD, Mangaldai NH Sub Division Jagadish Kalita while talking to a media person over phone claimed that there are provisions for NH to construct altogether 20 rumble strips with a radius of 3 cm each in areas considering educatiol institutions and busy township. He further stated that these rumble strips had been constructed under the direction of the Deputy Commissioner.