Assam floods damage vital National Highway 6 cuts off access to parts of Tripura Manipur Mizoram

National Highway-6, which connects Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the southern part of Assam with the rest of the country, continues to be cut for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday due to landslides triggered by incessant rains. The single-track railroad, which connects these states to the rest of the country, has also remained cut off for the past 38 days.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma along with Interior Minister Lahkmen Rymbui accompanied by district administration officials, PWD engineers and NHAI officials inspected the damaged part on Sunday from NH-6 to Lum Shnong in the hills of East Jaintia.

A Meghalaya government official said an alternative route has been identified at Lum Shnong which has only been opened to light motor vehicles. The Chief Minister spoke to the truckers, who have been stranded in the area and assured them that the administration will provide all possible support.

Sangma said efforts are underway to restore the road link within the next 48 to 72 hours, subject to weather conditions. He said that due to the continuous rains, the restoration work was hampered, but the administration was working to ensure the restoration of road communication.

“Every effort is being made to restore all the damaged part of the road to ensure accessibility. However, there is a huge challenge, as the rains continue. water flow is diverted, area can be restored,” the chief minister told the media.

In Lum Shnong, waters from the hills gushed through the road, which damaged the vital national road and affected the restoration works. According to the official, more than 1,000 trucks loaded with goods are stuck on both sides of the road from Assam to Meghalaya.

Sangma said the state government requested Rs 300 crore from the Union Home Ministry to undertake the restoration work. “The rain was unprecedented, breaking 40-year records in some areas. Apart from damage to highways, important road links in rural areas, bridges were washed out. Its financial implication will be very high and impact on people’s livelihoods. Damage to livestock and agricultural activities across the state is another concern,” the chief minister said.

He said the state government would take some time to assess the extent of the damage, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was briefed on the situation. The damage to the NH-6 caused huge inconvenience to the people of Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the southern part of Assam, affecting the transport of essential commodities, food grains, transport fuels in addition to passengers .

Meanwhile, the situation in the hill section of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in Dima Hasao district of Assam since May 14 has remained critical as bad weather continued to hit the area, affecting the line railway unique Lumding-Badarpur which connects Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the southern part of Assam with the rest of the country.

According to NFR Public Relations Manager Sabyasachi De in Lumding Division, train services have been canceled until the end of June. He said breaches had occurred at more than 61 locations in this section, leading to disruption of rail communication with Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and parts of Assam. Restoration work at 46 sites has already been completed and work at 15 other critical sites is continuing at full speed.

The NFR is targeting rapid restoration works across the entire section of the hill with the aim of restarting services by July 10, the CPRO said.

Even in bad weather, thousands of workers and hundreds of machines are working day and night under the supervision of railway officials, De said, adding that the entire stretch from Badarpur to Jatinga Lumpur has already been restored.

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