Meghalaya villagers protest against overloaded trucks on crucial road in West Khasi Hills

Villagers from Umsohpieng, Myndo, Mawtirang, and Pursohan, located in West Khasi Hills District along the Meghalaya-Assam border, staged a protest on the Riangdo-Hahim road, on the night of November 28. They called on the state government to take action against overloaded trucks.
 

The four villages fall under the Mawsynrut Constituency.
 

Dering Tyrsa, a resident of Umsohpieng village in the Mawsynrut Constituency, said, "We finally got a new road after 19 years, but it is still incomplete, stretching from Riangdo-Athiabari-Hahim-Boko. However, we have noticed that overloaded trucks, especially coal-laden ones, are using this road, which is still under construction. If this continues, the road will be damaged again, and we will suffer once more."
 

Meanwhile, Pynshai Lyngdoh from Umsohpieng said, "We have no problems if all the trucks maintain the weight carried on the truck. We have seen many overloaded trucks and we villagers asked the coal laden truck drivers, as they also agreed that they carry overload on their trucks." 
 

According to the villagers, completing the road between Assam and Meghalaya will benefit the people of both states, especially during medical emergencies. They have faced difficulties transporting patients to hospitals, either in Boko, Assam, or in the Nongstoin area of Meghalaya. However, the under-construction road now brings hope. 
 

"Therefore we request the government to take necessary actions on plying of overloaded trucks," the residents voiced. 
 

It is worth mentioning that the construction of the road from Riangdo to Hahim (approximately 37 kilometers) began in 2021. Prior to this, the road was in a deplorable condition. 
 

The Riangdo-Athiabari-Hahim-Boko road connects two districts: West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya and Kamrup in Assam. It also links two state highways — the Tura-Shillong Highway in Meghalaya and the Guwahati-Goalpara Highway in Assam.
 

According to police sources in Meghalaya, they regularly inspect trucks using weight bridges in collaboration with officials from the Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR). While people may suspect that trucks are overloaded, most of them pass through the checkpoints underweight.