Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of PWD Prestone Tynsong on Friday said the National Highway Authority of India must undertake a detailed survey of the Jorabat road to determine whether its level and design are adequate, amid recurring waterlogging and flooding even during relatively light rainfall.
Tynsong said he had recently convened a meeting with National Highway officials and directed them to conduct a detailed survey and take necessary corrective measures, stressing that the persistent flooding needs to be addressed at the design and execution level.
“If you talk about the flood in Jorabat, in fact, this road is being maintained and constructed by the National Highway Authority of India. In fact, before construction, they need to do all the detailed survey to know exactly whether the road level is okay or not. Of course, of late, I called a meeting and I had met the officials of the National Highway, and I have told them that you need to do the detailed survey and then take whatever necessary action should be done,” he said.
Tynsong said the problem has become a recurring concern, with the road getting choked by floodwater even when rainfall is not particularly heavy.
“Because whenever the rain comes, even though the rain is not that heavy, still the road gets choked with the flooded water,” he said.
Clarifying that the stretch does not fall under the State PWD, Tynsong said the road is entirely under the National Highway Authority of India, which comes under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
“This is not the subject of the State Government. It is not under the purview of the State PWD. It is completely handled, done and designed, and the execution work is by the National Highway Authority of India, which falls directly under the Ministry of Road Transport. So, I am in touch with them and hopefully, very soon, they are going to rectify this,” he said.
