NHAI dragged to High Court for dilapidated conditions of NH-6

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 15, 2022

Anguished with the non maintenance and repair the National Highway No-6 along East Jaintia Hills District, social activist and budding advocate Kynjaimon Amse draggged the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to the Court of Law with a Public Interest Litigation or PIL as it is popularly known.

In the hearing of the PIL on Thursday, the Division Bench of the High Court of Meghalaya said the grievance of the petitioner is that a large section of NH 6 which connects the northern part of Assam to the south-eastern part thereof through the State of Meghalaya is in very bad condition.

The Court viewed that the petitioner complained of the stretch between Lumshnong and Malidor in the East Jaintia Hills district.

 “This State, particularly the eastern part thereof, was lashed by heavy pre-monsoon rains that resulted in several landslides and parts of NH 6 being closed to traffic for several days,” observed the Division Bench.

Some temporary measures were taken to reopen the arterial road and there is no doubt that regular maintenance work will be undertaken. It is also possible that the ongoing monsoon has impeded the work being taken up on a speedier basis.

 Since National Highways Authority of India is represented, such authority should indicate the measures to be taken for repairing all the highways which run through the State, particularly since the monsoon rains damage most of them.

A rough time-frame for the repair work should be indicated, particularly in respect  the stretch of road that the petitioner complains of.