Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Poor roads irk Meghalaya Home Minister

By Staff Correspondent

SHILLONG, Aug 19 - Home Minister, HDR Lyngdoh has been ticked off by the �negligence and faults� of the Public Works Department (PWD) causing several road accidents in the State and said it must take immediate �responsibility� and stop these accidents and deaths.�

Pointing to the potholes and poor conditions of the roads in the State, Lyngdoh said, the PWD should ensure good roads, as some of the accidents were caused due to the poor road conditions.�

�Deaths have also occurred in the State due to the fault of the department which looks after the roads,� the Home Minister, also in-charge of Transport portfolio said, during a road safety programme.�

Emphasising that the PWD must take the �matter seriously,� Lyngdoh said, the department should start repairing the potholes and damaged roads immediately.�

Citing a recent incident of a rock rolling down on the Shillong-Guwahati road while he was heading to Tura, Lyngdoh said, it was fortunate that nobody was hurt in the incident.�

�There are a lot of rocks hanging above the highway. This is negligence on the part of the department. The PWD department together with the district administrations must conduct a survey in this regard,� he stated.�

He suggested that the PWD must construct erosion protection walls wherever necessary to prevent mishaps. PWD Minster Martin M Danggo, who was present in the programme also highlighted an important cause of accidents in the State.�

Lyngdoh further urged the police to take �harsh action� against rash driving on the highway. �The police must take harsh action against those indulging in rash driving and overloading. The police have to intensify patrols on the highways,� he stated.�

�He also cautioned the District Transport Officers while issuing drivers� licences. There have always been reports that licences are being issued by the DTO�s office without tests and flouting other guidelines.�

Lyngdoh said the DTOs must ensure that proper guidelines are being followed while licences are being issued.�

�Several mishaps can be averted by following basic guidelines like wearing seat belts, helmets and not using the cell phone while driving,� he said. Meghalaya has a high incident of accidents. According to data available there were 183 deaths caused due to road accidents in 2015 alone.

Next Story