The Stretch of NH 6 from Mawryngkneng to Sonapur

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 24, 2021

The present health of the stretch from Mawryngkneng to Sonapur is fast deteriorating. The reasons are not far to seek. The stretch formerly known as NH44 is now renamed NH6. The portion from Assam to  Mawryngkneng had been made a real NH since 2014 (though sad to point out the Dwarksuid bridge is single one way, never heard of in National Highways). It has a central divider, the must for any Highway. But from Mawryngkneng till it enters North Cachar, this NH 6 is in a very bad shape. Not only does it lack the central divider, a Highway should possess, but bitumen surface is already damaged beyond repair. Even with very scanty rainfall, the road is nothing short of watery graves making driving extremely dangerous and bumpy.

Why the so called NH 6 terminates at Mawryngkneng, it is an extremely difficult question. And it is very strange that the said stretch with all its discrepancy as to the planting of toll gate at Phramer certified as fast tag but performs snai tag, number of unauthorised weigh bridges and lack of a central divider in the absence of which, any head on collision of heavy vehicle with small cars, all cars, occupants get killed. More saddening, there is no CCTV along this so called high way, and no speed radar. And life is now lighter than a feather, with the post-accident cases never receive legal attention so far.

And it seems nobody ever realises that these 12 & 16 wheelers do not comply to the rules of MV Acts. 2518 TATA’s nomenclature means the permissible factory axle load is 25 tons. With 25% MOT concession, the axle load becomes 32 tons. We are not aware of how the weigh bridges (Authorised) measure gross load and the must be deduction of the truck’s unladen weight. Leaving that aside, the very fact that they get stuck at our world’s most notorious gradients, waiting for mechanics to come and to repair, reveals undeniably that they are heavily overloaded.(The best method to check overload).

In our country we suffer from truck tailgating. Tailgating is the offence punishable by fines and penalty on the driver. Say from Myntdu bridge to Khliehtyrshi, a heavily overloaded truck moved at 4 Km per hour (you only watch the boy with a wooden jam following his master’s truck, ready to throw the jam in case of faulty gear changing  or fuel misinjection). And God forbid should the jam fail to act, the small car behind is devasted. In developed countries, the traffic police would mark this, WhatsApp to the driver of his breach of law, and inform him/her of fine slapped and how many penalties remain before license is seized. In our country, we have a long way to go before we could exercise the above especially when drivers can change trucks without legal records.

Worst is these heavily overloaded 12&16wheelers have a single differentials. So in tough gradients, the torque of the 4 tyres upon the metalled surface is huge as only 4 tyres press the metalled road and not 8, which should reduce the torque on surface. Roads cannot last, no matter how well the PWD performs its job.

With few more late showers I am afraid only four wheels truck and cars could ply. Unless the above points are immediately redressed, the Mawryngkneng Ratacherra road will cease to deliver the purpose for which it was built. And public would bear the brunt.

We badly need to revamp the Transport Department be it in our state or elsewhere. MV acts need only common sense (for after all law is logical reasoning and common sense), but more than this we need people who dare to call spade a spade and prepared to walk the thin red line in event of his/her being fired.

W Passah
A frequent commuter on NH 6.