SHILLONG — Road cutting in Meghalaya’s fragile hills can no longer be treated as a routine engineering exercise, with the Meghalaya High Court directing NHIDCL and NHAI to obtain reports from hill experts or IIT Guwahati before taking up road construction in hilly areas.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W Diengdoh issued the direction while examining vulnerability assessments and damage linked to road construction across the state.
The court referred to a hill expert’s report which flagged steep slope cutting, unstable geology, extreme cut heights, inadequate surface and subsurface drainage, and failure to follow top-down cutting and benching practices. It warned that continuing with un-engineered hill cuts could cause catastrophic damage, including loss of life and damage to nearby structures.
IIT Guwahati has already submitted a preliminary vulnerability assessment to NHIDCL, with a joint site inspection scheduled from September 28 to 30 to identify critical and highly vulnerable locations. The court also noted that detailed investigations and remedial measures would follow the assessment.
The court also directed authorities to conduct scientific studies before cutting hills to reduce tree loss.
On the Shillong-Dawki Road, a fresh assessment put damage to affected structures at ₹90.84 lakh, sharply below the earlier ₹1.70-crore estimate. NHIDCL said the amount would be deposited to facilitate repairs and reconstruction of the affected school and other structures.
The court was also informed that the Shillong-Dawki Road is now operational 24 hours, with the landslide-affected section and an alternative village road repaired.
The matter has been listed for October 13, keeping the spotlight firmly on how Meghalaya’s roads are being carved through its hills.
