Meghalaya HC accepts PIL over two lane road project

FROM A CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG, Feb 14: The Meghalaya High Court on Tuesday accepted the PIL relating to demand for construction of the two-lane road projects in the uranium belt of South West Khasi Hills.
The PIL was filed by the Joint Action Committee on two-lane road.
According to the High Court, the PIL has been filed essentially bringing to fore a sorry state of affairs of a road that though the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for North East had sanctioned a project for upgradation of two lanes stretching from Nongstoin-Wahkaji-Domiasiat-Mawthabah. The Court said that as per the PIL, for the said project, about 91.153 percent of land had been acquired by the Government and the construction work was also awarded but, the construction could not be started due to certain objections by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC).  In the PIL it is also submitted that a substantial project of this ture, which is to help all-around development of the State, has got stuck causing gross injustice to the inhabitants of Nongstoin-Mawthabah areas for no valid reason whatsoever.  “In this petition, prayer has been made for issuing a mandamus directing the KHADC to issue No Objection Certificate for the project in question without further delay,” the High Court said.