Guwahati: Meghalaya high court has directed the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) to ensure that reports of hill experts or IIT Guwahati are obtained before construction of roads in the state’s hilly areas.The direction came amid concerns over slope stability and the manner in which hills are being cut for road construction. The court also ordered authorities to conduct scientific studies before cutting hills to minimise tree felling.A division bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W Diengdoh passed the order while hearing a petition concerning the construction of the Shillong-Dawki Road.The court noted that IIT Guwahati had submitted a preliminary vulnerability assessment and was conducting a joint site inspection from Sept 28 to 30 to identify critical and highly vulnerable locations. The timelines for a detailed investigation and remedial measures were to be finalised during the state visit.On damage to structures during the construction of the Shillong-Dawki road, the court said a joint inspection by IIT Guwahati and NHIDCL had been carried out. A fresh assessment estimated the cost at Rs 90.84 lakh, against an earlier estimate of Rs 1.70 crore. NHIDCL told the court that the assessed amount would be deposited with the concerned authorities to facilitate repair or reconstruction.Deputy solicitor general of India N Mozika, appearing for NHIDCL, told the court that the Shillong-Dawki Road was operational round the clock. The landslide-affected stretch and a village road had also been repaired and were open to traffic, he said.The bench referred to hill expert D Gharpure’s report, which raised concerns over inadequate right-of-way provisions, slope stability, steep cutting, inadequate surface and subsurface drainage, and failure to follow practices such as top-down cutting and benching. The report warned that such practices could result in serious damage and loss of life.The report also said slope mitigation in geologically challenging hill regions required specialised expertise. It recommended that vulnerability assessments and detailed project reports (DPRs) for identified vulnerable locations be prepared by expert agencies instead of general road DPR consultants.The court directed that a copy of the order be sent to the ministry of road transport and highways, NHIDCL, NHAI, the Meghalaya chief secretary and the principal secretary, PWD, among others. It said the directions were intended to ensure that road construction in the state’s hilly areas was carried out scientifically and that necessary studies were completed before hill cutting.The matter has been posted for Oct 13.
