✍️Anupam Pal,Kailashahar
Due to heavy rainfall, the Kailashahar–Kumarghat National Highway 208 has once again come to a standstill. On Thursday night, incessant downpour triggered a massive landslide on the highway at Ward No. 1 of Shantipur under Pabiacherra Assembly Constituency. As a result, vehicular movement came to a complete halt. Not only that, but electricity supply was also disrupted after an electric pole collapsed near Shantipur School because of the landslide.
Local residents complained that around 3 a.m. they woke up to a loud crashing sound. When they rushed outside, they saw huge amounts of mud and rocks blocking the national highway, along with a broken electric pole lying across the road. Consequently, several vehicles on both sides of the road got stuck. This morning, even a bus traveling from Kailashahar to Kumarghat railway station was forced to return, adding to the woes of stranded passengers.
The havoc was not limited to Shantipur alone. Reports of damage have come in from various parts of the district due to heavy rains. In Ward No. 5 of Uzan Jalaichhara, several trees were uprooted and fell across the highway. Local resident Debabrata Deb said, “Even though trees fell on the highway around 3 a.m., no action was taken by the administration until 11 in the morning. This is making the situation worse.”
Meanwhile, large portions of the highway have also been washed away in the Balehar area. Locals fear that if repair work does not begin soon, the extent of damage will increase further. Although the National Highway Authority has carried out repair works several times in the past, this vital road repeatedly suffers damage due to natural disasters.
As a result, not only is public life in the district disrupted, but communication has also come to a virtual standstill. The pressing questions remain—when will the administration intervene? And how quickly will alternative measures be taken to ease the suffering of passengers? For now, the people of Unakoti district can only wait and watch.
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