[By W. Passah, Ex HOD Electronics St Edmunds college Shillong – wandellpassah49@gmail.com]
Thank You Mr Pynshai Manik Syiem On your Petition To The DC Eastern West On Restricting The Movement Of Heavy Vehicles on The Mawmih Mawmaram Mawlyndep Stretch as these trucks pose the Threat to The life and safety of the public.
I have to write this heartening news on the Social Media because not only Khasi Jaintia people need to know but all people of North Eastern India and also for our two MPs of Shillong and Tura To know to highlight the woes in Parliament and if be our two MPs right now with powerful voice could tell our Union and Transport Minister Sri Nitin Gadkari to do something about it.
I began writing on the road Tortured since 1980 when Coal struck in Lad Rymbai of East Jaintia Hills.
Let it be known that the Nomenclature on TATA trucks like 1210 S are not for cosmetic beauty but for safety, the need of the hour as feared by Mr P M Syiem.
In 2012, when the Khliehriat Beltola road turned the road of death of bridges snapped as in 1980 of The Nongthymmai Bailey Bridge built by the British in 1920, and sad incident of these roof top loaded coal trucks one of them overturned at Mih Myntdu 72 km from Shillong 12km from Jowai, overturned on a curve covering the mother, her child on her back and the elder daughter and bodies retrieved after a day in era when Conscience is dead.
The Shillong Times then quite helpful had my 2012 Letter “Highway Under Stress” the Head line still in my dairy.
Let us come to 1210 its meaning. 12 pertains to the Factory Permissible Load of 12 Tons.
And for reason against the factory, Ministry of Transport concedes 25 %=3 ton so total is 15 ton.
Why 25 %, to increase the tax to help in next budget especially with ever more powerful multi Tyre 2518 to hit Our roads in 2014 the time NGT ban on Rat Hole began.
25 as explained is 25 Ton Factory Permissible Load, 7 Ton MoT concession and total 32 Ton and not to forget GVW or Gross Vehicular Weight of around 28 Ton for 2518 and 20 Tons for 1210
And saddest of all with ever increasing traffic density and traffic Intensity, roads remain the same since Independent.
To help petitioner Mr PM Syiem, the road not only deals with coal trucks but timber trucks so sad so Unlawful as in 1992 The Supreme Court banned felling of trees.
Few lines. At this, the hardest hit were our lumberjacks who had to take out all children from the schools to do child Labour (our petition at Pine Wood Hotel) and then all local Sawmills locked and petitions after petitions no respite.
While at Byrnihat dozen of giant powerful saw mills flourished by side of Plywood Factories, so timber to Assam, the Planks and beams back to Meghalaya.
1980 East Jaintia turned India’s North East Mining hub and because coal struck at 2 feet deep with cheap rat hole mining, the sale doctrine was and is pay 15 Ton as explained by MV Acts but load as much as one could.
And 45 ton of coal loaded on a 1210 and 10 multiplied by 10 is the engine Horse Power tailored by TATA to load 15 Ton.
As road from Khliehriat to Beltola and to Ratacherra was single lane without The Central Divider, many tragic accidents took place.
The climb of Sohshrieh.Jowai to Khlieh Tyrshi, Wah Nongbah to Puriang Sohryngkhsm were the stretch of weeks of traffic Jam.
West Side were freeluckily as only few timber trucks as forest shrank so no problem.
Worst from Nongpoh to Beltola no more tough Gradient and water service of Rs 20 for 5 tons of water got from Hillocks through PVC pipes so 45 tons turned 50 Tons the tip for drivers.
2012, traffic Police our friends at Nongthymmai complained of night shift after long day’s control to be chiekudars of trucks stranded at Rani Motor Jylli Shop Godown and Madanryting 4100 feet ASL Laitkor 5100 feet ASL separated by 2 km and Gradient is one of world toughest Gradient.
Then Umling Nongpoh too, telephone calls from say Jaipur to tell traffic Police to be night chowkidars to guard costly light items while driver and mechanic in Jerobad Hotels.
So visit to CE Roads & Building in around 2012 to hand the petition over a cup of tea.
1) How come trucks from Plains climb Meghalaya toughest gradients (ok assuming Weight Bridges are honest) with same Engine Horse Power without shedding some load at Plains say Guwahati and Ratacherra.
2) The 4 Tyres of the driver differentials torque the bitumen (lets say that old bitumen used in Hot Mix system) and 10 trucks enough to make the like of Kalain Umkiang Malidor Ratacherra stretch now fit to hand over to Fisheries Department.
2) No matter how well PWD then before 2018 got mixed up with Pvt Work D, roads are not going to to last.
The CE sent it to the Planning but returned back as told. Subsequently he retired to request his reliever to send it once more. The CE sent it and again returned for who are these engineers to order us in the Secreteriat?
Thus 2023 Umkiang Headman Piled NHAI and Co but was hushed as promised made to have Kalain Umkiang Malidor Ratacherra stretch repaired before Christmas 2023 and today is 4 months before 2025 Christmas.
More Damning was in 2019, the CM Mr Conrad Sangma made the famous declaration that 34 Lakh Metric Ton was already mined a minute before the NGT ban, thereby giving clean certificate to Dr Mukul Sangma who was CM 2013 2018
Retd Justice Kateky, finding the declaration difficult to do Arithmetic Consulted old PWD who replied in Engineering College no curriculum on weight and measure.
2518 loaded with 50 Tons against 32 Tons and so 78 Tons snapped the Dwarksuid Bridge on spring of 2021 to be restored by Border Road Force but snapped again after few weeks to last last on 2022 November.
In between prior to 2022 The CORP the Confederation of Ribhoi People visited the repaired wooden bridge. Signs Max 10 Tons Lenght 273 feet. One truck at the time.
Truck 1 1210 Empty so 20 Tons
Truck 2 22 ton (verbal no slip from Khliehriat) so 42 Ton.
Truck 3 Sir Company writes 30 Ton (Not from Khliehriat) so 52 Tons.
And one vehicle at a time.
Sir Nitin Gadkari, what about the speedy movement of troops and logistics incase Xi Jing Ping flexes his muscle?
2022 November Dwarksuid got snapped for good till Eternity.
Trucks routed through Umiam Dam Cum Bridge.
One Assamese Chemical Engineer who had worked with the Jaesoph Company in building the dam, later went to UK to teach, Sosed Mr K Lato, the Ex Director of The Jaintia Cement who as always having read letters called me to tell the fear of the engineer.
1)78 Ton vertical pressure and at certain depth 78 Ton horizontal hydrostatic to add 97 Tons more or less 45 degree down to exit
2) 180 Horse Power of Engine vibration loved by any bridge or hollow cavities to make the dam collapse.
Sad sad by then no more publication.
Nostalgic of 174 Megawatt if dam gives in, last resort the East West Corridor built during PM Atul Behari Bajpayye from Jerobad to Nowgong to Haflong to Silchar. Haflong to 8th Mile of West Jaintia.
And to sort of spurring up, fuel wise the road is far better but Assam Police Traffic are very strict so to disappoint the traders or truckers is the last thing the Govt would resort to.
Let it be known PM Manmohon Singh during his tenure, worried of the ever increasing traffic density and Intensity sent the plan to PWD to use Opposite Orchid Gate Nehru up 400m or so down Zigzag to old Bailey Bridge depalidated up Zigzagged to Ryndangbriew to ISBT.
But NH6 in the planning so the plan left untouched.
Week 1 December 2023 the Power Minister Sri AT Mondal with IIT Guwahati climbed down the bridge as vibration felt as trucks ply.
UP company probably that same one that built that dome that collapsed on the 22nd May 2022 in absence of any seismic disturbance, found bearings were never greased and last grease applied was in 1963 67.
New greased bearings fitted but seepage detected and without emptying the dam of water applied high Pressure Cement pump to ultimately had MeECL Civil Wing (Rule is Bridge portion to be dealt by MeECL Civil Wing) to write on both ends Max Load 4 Metric Ton say Sumo driver and 4 passengers 75 kg each in weight.
This is very very serious to be in line with Mr PM Syiem petition
Trucks 2024 to go to Mawryngkneng to Laitkor to Mawblei to Shillong at death of night
5 trucks became victims January 2024 one driver killed and hsndiman escaped with minor injury.Cause Brake Failure
Second Fish Carrying Truck from Andhra 2 handimen killed as driver wise enough to overturn it after 300 m
3rd Leyland 2518 brand new could kiss that first trucks parked opposite Madanryting Police Station and hit a shop lucky by midnight no occupants driver killed
4th truck 1210 slept overturned by side of first red truck.
Morning visit saw truck towed for fear of traffic Jam
Last a week before 2024 Christmas the 2518 this time after 400 m hit the building under construction.
Christmas season 2 weeks after a visit to the building to find owner temporarily suspending work but to build the 6ft by 6ft by 6 feet guard wall to be safe. 2025 March he proved right another truck brake failure hit that guard wall unmoved building safe.
With Print Media playing hide and seek, let me tell readers Old 2013 PWD having suggested the Umtrew Ada Busti And Lal Charai to be the Interstate Trucks Terminal.
All trucks from Guwahati And Jaintia to unload there and 407 TATA small size Pickups Mahindra and Bolero and even 3 wheelers to complete the journey.
And with Mawmaram Mawlyndep UCC road built recently all West Khasi Dawki Cherrapunjee to serve and Shillong could be eased of this maddening traffic Jam of 1 km an hour within 26 km Radii
And those deaths of 2 drivers two handimen with no Judicial Enquiry could be avoided.
Do we ever think what would happen if the deads are not drivers or handimen but some one else
Traffic Police summoned to control Garikhana KHADC Mawlai Bridge to relax not blowing whistle without lung allowance.
And MDA Govt lastest Finding is Asbestos Industries in India are being closed down one after the other.
Mr Conrad Sangma and Mr Dhar the braking system of all vehicles are Asbestos Lining pressed against the drum of steel
From Laitkor or Upper Shillong to Shillong and Mawlai the Gradient is 1 to 4 on average. Asbestos gas is carcinogenic to tell you to explain why Diagnostics Centres Hospitals overcrowded.
So please please listen to 2013 PWD if you really are concerned for the health of the citizens.
