By IANS,
Shillong : Road links to the northeastern states of Mizoram, Tripura and parts of Manipur and southern Assam remained cut off from the rest of India Sunday following massive landslides on a major highway in Meghalaya, an official said Sunday.
The National Highway No 44 at Sonapur and Tongseng in Jaintia Hills district in eastern Meghalaya, bordering Assam, has been blocked after heavy rains triggered landslides, with huge boulders covering the road.
Sonapur and Tongseng, about 150 km from the Meghalaya capital Shillong, is a landslide prone area and is linked with National Highway No 40 connecting Shillong and Guwahati in Assam, the gateway to the rest of India.
“Our men are working round the clock to restore the vital link,” Peter S Dkhar, District Magistrate of Jaintia Hills, told IANS.
Public Work Department officials have pressed in modern machinery to clear the rubble.
Hundreds of passenger vehicles and trucks carrying essentials have been stranded on both ends of the landslide-hit road. Passenger vehicles were also stranded on the national highway, which is the lifeline for landlocked Tripura and Mizoram.
The Geological Survey of India has identified Sonapur as a landslide prone area.