SHILLONG:
The recurring mudslides and landslides at Sunapur Tunnel in East Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya has become a cause of concern for travellers, more importantly as this road is the connecting link between Meghalaya and Barak Valley and Silchar in Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and also Manipur.
Since June 14, the area was affected by mudslides and landslides, that reoccurred soon after being cleared for traffic.
A mudslide that struck Sunapur Tunnel on June 16 had disrupted vehicular movement and many vehicles were stuck for hours. After continuous efforts, the road was partly cleared and one-way traffic was allowed; however, since the rain showed no sign of stopping since last night, another mudslide hit the stretch, completely blocking the road.
A District Police official informed that even if the rain stops, they would still hours to clear the road but then again, chances look very slim since according to the forecast, the region will continue to receive heavy rains in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner and Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority of East Jaintia Hills had written to the project director of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on this issue on June 16.
According to this letter, the DC said that the problem at the Sonapyrdi (Sunapur) Tunnel on National Highway (NH) 6 will likely persist throughout the monsoon due to the continuous mudslide form the adjoining hills.
“As there is no alternate route to divert vehicles, and as the NH 6 serves as lifeline to the adjoining states of Assam, Mizoram and Tripura, it is untenable that the mudslide from the adjoining hills should be allowed to flow unabated on the NH without any intervention,” the letter read.
In view of this, the DC has asked NHAI to immediately explore ways and means on how to control or divert the mudflow from the adjoining hills so that the normal flow of vehicular movement is least hampered.
“You are also to unform the undersigned (DC) of the timeline within which the said intervention can be implemented,” the letter read.
Until the filing of this story, authorities are still on the job to clear the road.
WATCH: