Khliehriat (Meghalaya): The East Khasi Hills Truck Owners & Transporters Association and the East Jaintia Hills Limestone Suppliers Association, yesterday met the DC of East Jaintia Hills district demanding action against all overloaded trucks plying on NH-6, the arterial road connecting Guwahati in Assam to Meghalaya and further into Silchar (south Assam) Mizoram and Tripura.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) pointed out that overloaded trucks cause more damage to the road, especially along the Narpuh circle.

The members of the committee highlighted that the hazardous condition of the road has affected travel, especially for the people who take the road for urgent work and to access hospitals for treatment.

For the past week small vehicles remained stranded for hours,  from Ratacherra to Tongseng, due to the poor state.

The JAC members attributed years of negligence and disrepair for the dangerous condition of the road. They added that the road is constantly in need of repair due to poor quality of construction.

The top layer of concrete is frequently eroded, leaving sections covered with loose gravel that gradually deepens over time, forming pits and bumps.

They sought action against operators of large overloaded trucks that are not fit to ply on the stretch, especially in the Narpuh-Sonapur Bridge.

On May 22, the JAC along with government officials, police personnel, the magistrates and village headmen from Kongong, Wapung Shnong and Tongseng circle had a crackdown on overloaded trucks.

They intercepted the trucks and stopped them from plying through the highway.

The JAC urged the DC of EJHD to repair the road and demanded the strict enforcement of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 and the Prevention of Damages to Public Properties Act, 1984 by the district administration.