Shillong : Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Monday said the restoration of the Shillong-Dawki road will take considerable time after a massive landslide completely cut off a section of the highway near Laitlyngkot village.
Tynsong, who also holds the PWD (Roads) portfolio, visited the affected site at Chainage 25+200 along with officials from the District Administration, NHIDCL, PWD (Roads), Disaster Management authorities and representatives of road construction agencies.
Following the inspection, the Deputy Chief Minister described the damage as extensive and said repairs would be a challenging and time-consuming process.
“The damage is very severe and it will also take a long time to repair this,” Tynsong said.
He stated that the inspection team assessed both the extent of the destruction and possible measures to restore connectivity for residents and travellers affected by the highway closure.
With traffic movement completely disrupted, the government is now focusing on creating a temporary alternative route to ease transportation difficulties.
According to Tynsong, authorities are exploring a diversion through Umthli, Iew Mawiong and Nonthymmai, with vehicles expected to exit near Bah Khrik’s area.
“It seems we will have to route traffic via Umthli, via Iew Mawiong and also via Nonthymmai to exit at Bah Khrik’s side. It appears feasible as a temporary arrangement, but only for light vehicles. Commercial vehicles will not be able to use this route,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said a final decision regarding the diversion will be taken after discussions with all concerned departments at the Inspection Bungalow.
He further informed that coordination meetings involving the District Administration, NHIDCL and PWD officials will be held to determine how the temporary route can be operationalised at the earliest.
Tynsong also said the government will seek the cooperation of local village authorities and landowners, as portions of the diversion will pass through local roads and private land.
“We will coordinate with the village authorities and landowners and request them to allow us to use the road until the construction of the new road is completed, especially since the existing highway has been completely cut off,” he said.
The landslide has severely impacted one of Meghalaya’s most important highways connecting Shillong to Dawki and the India-Bangladesh border, raising concerns over transportation, tourism and trade movement in the region.