Shillong, April 25: The NGOs of Garo Hills the GSU, AYWO, FKJGP writte to the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills District Mr Ram Singh asking the district administration to stop plying of Bhutan trucks through NH 51 with regards to its export to Bangladesh.
The GSU, AYWO, FKJGP and ADE, wishes to bring forth to your knowledge the towering reality of the abject damage of the NH by overloaded trucks. There have been complaints galore and as one will notice the disturbances the operation of boulder loaded trucks have thus presented.
The consequential danger of it will be almost akin to coal truck plying roads where disturbances to pedestrians, accidents, haphazard parking of vehicles, likelihood of present and constant danger of dacoities and robberies, environmental hazards and worst of all once again be impregnated with bad road conditions.
Garo Hills does not have the best quality roads; the tonnage stricture for goods carriages can clearly conclude the fact without any higher understanding of the matter. Suffice to say the vicious circle of over laden trucks with weight tonnage above the limit will damage the road which will result in fines and corruption which will stimulate the practice of overloading trucks or vehicles based on profit maxims thus completing the circle.
The NH51 is only one of the two roads connecting Garo Hills with the capital city and it behooves upon us to be extra careful about elements that will damage the road once again plunging us to accommodate and grit through a bad road. It has only been for a few years that Garo Hills have had the benefit of a better road which has made the journey on NH51 relatively less costly with the journey being safer and better estimation of time required for the journey.
The risks for further escalation of road damage will be compounded by the fact that coal trucks will try to ply on NH51 taking the queue from Bhutan coal exports. And any scruples about the better benefits that the general public will reap from a moderately good road will be readily demolished for the benefits of few by unscrupulous businessmen and people content with buffering their bank accounts.
The NGOs do not deny that highways must benefit the businessmen and bolster the economy of the region but the reality that is the quality of the roads in Garo Hills persuades the restriction of hauled tonnage of the carriages based on road condition.
They do believe that with better and wider roads instead of the two lane capacity we have and upgrading the quality of the road is the answer not overloading the carriages with goods above the limit specified.They are demanding that the Bhutan boulder export to Bangladesh through NH51 be stopped for the various complaints recived by them.
