Shillong, April 16: An FIR was lodged on Sunday on the sudden landslide and road accident that led to the death of two persons on Friday at Rngain under Pynursla Civil Sub-Division.
East Khasi Hills SP Sylvester Nongtnger said on Sunday that the FIR was lodged in the morning.
The landslide due to the fall of boulders along the Shillong-Dawki road crushed and pushed two vehicles -one of them into a gorge resulting in the death of Wahlyngkhat villagers identified as Seiborlang Jaktung and K Kongjirem.
Deputy Chief Minister in-charge PWD (Roads) Prestone Tynsong , who is the local MLA, visited the area on Saturday.
He was annoyed over the NHIDCL officials for not carrying out proper study before awarding the road construction work.
He wanted the district administration ro lodge an FIR.
First FIR filed in 2021
Earlier in December 2021, the CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing had lodged an FIR after a video of a landslide at Rngain went viral on social media.
She he ad also pointed out that the incident had put the lives of many people commuting through the roads in danger.
When contacted, Agnes said that she is yet to know the status of the inquiry by the police.
In the video shot two years ago, boulders were seen rolling from a hilltop at Rngain.
Mahila Cong slams Prestone
The Meghalaya Pradesh Mahila Congress conveyed condolences to the families who lost two of their bread earners in the accident.
The Mahila Congress, in its statement, has described the remarks of the Prestone of filing an FIR as nothing but a “smokescreen” to protect the culprits knowing fully well of the illegal stone quarrying without proper regulation. “It is funny that the Deputy CM speaks of filing of an FIR but the question is against whom shall an FIR be filed, against nature or against stones, boulders that came crashing down”?
“Why has the company ARSS which has been sub-contracted the road project by NHIDCL with funding from JICA be so irresponsible in putting up road signages along the entire stretch knowing that there is constant heavy vehicular movement considering the fact that tourists frequently travel”, said the Mahila Congress president Joplyn S Shylla.
She said time and again there have been serious accidents involving trucks moving towards Dawki with heavy loads of boulders without proper papers and registration, “ What is the state transport commissioner doing and for that matter the office of the transport officer of East Khasi Hills”? she asked.
“An unfortunate incident like this has put a question mark upon the efficiency of the SDO Civil Sub-division and the absolute carelessness of the state PWD department for not adhering to environmental norms.
The party has asked for immediate transfer of the officers concerned and a compensation to be provided by the state government, NHIDCL and the mining association collectively to the bereaved families.
