Thousands of commuters were stranded for the whole night on Shillong-Jowai national highway in Meghalaya due to massive traffic jam since Friday evening.
One of the stranded commuters who was returning from Khliehriat in East Jaiñtia Hills district to Shillong, told Northeast Now that they started from Khliehriat at around 5 pm and due to flash floods and minor landslides, vehicles were moving at snail pace and they reached Ummulong in West Jaiñtia Hills around 6.30 pm.
“From Ummulong, it took more than three hours to reach Puriang in East Khasi Hills district. It was at Puriang that we stranded the whole night. After police came to regulate the movement of vehicles in the morning, we could move and reached Shillong at 8 am on Saturday,” he said.
The main cause of the traffic jam was the overtaking of vehicles from both directions on the highway those proceeding to Shillong and vehicles moving to Jaiñtia Hills.
The traveller also lamented over the condition of the highway and the manner in which the road has been blacktopped.
“The quality of the blacktopping is in question, and the road is so bad and water has washed away the blacktop part of the road in some portions,” he said.
