The Meghalaya Public Works department, while responding to the climate change, has issued a circular asking all the division executive engineers throughout the state to be alert and to be ready for any eventuality.
Informing this, Deputy Chief Minister in charge of PWD Prestone Tynsong said, “We had a meeting with secretary PWD, I have instructed him to issue a circular to all the division executive engineers throughout the state to be alert and also to be ready for any eventuality.”
“Now I can see the climate change that has taken place. It's very very unusual as well as the damage, be it landslides, be it disconnecting of the road it may happen any time, any place in the state. Instruction has been given to all the concerned executive engineers to be alert and to be ready for any eventuality,” he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister also denied that sand and stone quarrying is the reason for landslides in the Pynursla area, even as he mentioned the construction and widening of Dawki-Shillong road has led to the landslides.
“Now the road construction has just started I think you must have seen in a few places the road construction started then naturally the landslide will happen, once the rain starts the landslide will happen because it is happening in that portion where the road construction started, so it is not because of the stone query but this is natural during construction of road,” Tynsong said.
It may be mentioned that a massive landslide reported at Ryngain, Pynursla is due to widening, however, the Deputy CM said few vehicles were damaged in the landslide, although no one lost their life.
Asked if it will affect the construction work of the Shillong Dawki road, he said, “That will affect, naturally it will affect but we have already instructed NHIDCL to again station and make sure they are available anytime when the stone falls down or when the landslide takes place anywhere to make sure that the machinery is in a place where they can remove immediately the landslide debris.”
Special instruction has been given to NHIDCL to remain available in case of any eventualities in the area.
On the construction company’s being reckless, Tynsong mentioned the formation of the soil in the hilly state of Meghalaya which makes landslides inevitable in case any construction work is carried out.
“Question of recklessness by NHIDCL does not arise as I said you know well the formation soil in our state, in any hill station I think you understand, I think you know the formation of the soil here in Meghalaya which is not at all possible for any construction company to be able to reduce the landslide which is happening right now,” Tynsong said.
“It is not at all the recklessness of the company but I am telling you that nature itself has created a lot of problems as far as landslides are concerned,” he added.
