Meghalaya High Court Hears PIL on Traffic Woes in Shillong

Meghalaya: Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya has been suffering from massive traffic woes for quite some time now. Regarding this situation, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Meghalaya High Court.

The Meghalaya High Court was informed on Monday of the various reports that have been submitted concerning the traffic situation and the actions that have been implemented over time. Nevertheless, the actual situation appears to have not improved much. The hiring of specialized organizations to facilitate traffic management is one of the measures done to reduce traffic congestion.

Regarding the discerning traffic situation in Shillong, Philip Khrawbok Shati had filed a PIL, which was being heard by the court. Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, HL Shangreiso requested an extension from the court to submit a brief affidavit regarding the most recent status report on traffic management that the state government had submitted.

The court stated that the petitioner's senior attorney had submitted a list of names for consideration as independent members of the Decongestion Committee and that the court had taken note of this information. The names will be discussed at the next hearing on December 1.

Meanwhile, in line with the Chief Minister's appeal to make road safety awareness a mass movement, Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya inaugurated the 'Path Suraksha Jan Andolan,' a statewide awareness campaign. The campaign was initiated on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, aiming to reduce road accidents and fatalities in Assam.

In the period from January to October this year, the state recorded a concerning 6001 accidents, leading to 2606 fatalities and 4800 injuries. The top five districts with the highest fatalities during this period were Kamrup (R), Kamrup (M), Nagaon, Sonitpur, and Goalpara. Notably, 40.89 per cent of accidents occurred between 15:00 and 21:00 hours, with 40 per cent happening on national highways. Furthermore, 76 per cent of accidents occurred in open spaces, residential zones, and market areas. A disconcerting statistic revealed that in 2021, 78.88% of total deaths occurred within the age group of 18 to 45 years, representing the most productive segment of the population.

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