Villagers Protest Over Overloaded Trucks on Unfinished Meghalaya-Assam Border Road

A Correspondent

Boko: “After 19 years, we now have a new road from Riangdo to Athiabari to Hahim-Boko, however it is not yet finished. However, we have observed that some heavy trucks, particularly those carrying coal, pass down this still-under-construction road. “If it goes on, the road will be damaged once more and we people will suffer once more,” Dering Tyrsa of Umsohpieng village said.

Along the Meghalaya-Assam border, villagers from Umsohpieng, Myndo, Mawtirang, Pursohan, under Mawsynrut Constituency in West Khasi Hills District demonstrated on Friday night along the Riangdo-Hahim route, calling on the state government to take the appropriate action against overloaded lorries.

If every truck maintains the weight it is carrying, we won't have any issues. Pynshai Lyndoh from Umsohpieng village in the WKH District stated, “We asked the coal-laden truck drivers about the numerous overloaded trucks we saw, and they also acknowledged that they carry overload on their trucks.”

The villagers believe that the completion of the route connecting Assam and Meghalaya will benefit the citizens of both states. “Especially for us, because during the medical emergencies, we face troubles bringing the patients to hospital either in Boko in Assam or in Nongstoin area in Meghalaya. The road that is currently being built, however, gives us optimism. Unlike before 2021, our children will now attend schools and universities without any issues. Therefore, we urge the government to address overloaded trucks by taking the appropriate measures,” one of the villager said.

The construction of the road started from Riangdo to Hahim (around 37 kilometers) in the year of 2021. Before that the road was in utmost pathetic condition. The Riangdo-Athiabari-Hahim-Boko road connects two districts West Khasi Hills of Meghalaya and Kamrup district of Assam and similarly the road also connects two state highways, which are Tura-Shillong Highway in Meghalaya and Guwahati-Goalpara highway in Assam.

According to the police sources of Meghalaya, they regularly inspect the trucks through weight bridges along with officials of Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR).

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