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-   -   Alleged "oil spilling" by locals on Guwahati-Shillong road (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/211173-alleged-oil-spilling-locals-guwahati-shillong-road.html)

According to a media report, locals are allegedly spilling oil on a stretch of the Guwahati-Shillong road to harass commuters.



Several incidents of cars and 2-wheelers losing control and crashing on this stretch of road have been reported. More recently, a Ford Mustang skidded off and crashed due to slippery road conditions.



Reports suggest that local gangs are deliberately spilling oil on the tarmac near the Barapani area where most accidents have been reported. It is said that when the vehicle loses grip on the slippery surface and crashes, a group of locals rush to scene and offer crane services to recover the stricken vehicle. They charge anywhere between Rs. 5,000-15,000. Left with no option, commuters are forced to pay to get their vehicles out.

Source: Guwahati Plus

Similar reports have surfaced in the past few years too. The local police seems to be hand in glove with the gang(s).Read this report!

North-east is supposed to be very tourist-friendly. I myself have enjoyed the warmth and hospitality of locals during my last trip. If this is true then people behind such acts should be brought to justice.

Such inhuman activities can also result in a major crash with casualties!

Could it be just a case of a couple of accidents being blown up by the local media?

First few rains inevitably cause some accidents and the oil on the roads runs off during the initial rain. On highways, any amount of oil gets dumped on the roads because of old trucks, accidents etc.

Have there been sever such incidents in a short span, that too in the same stretch?

Being from Shillong, I do know this that the NH connecting between Guwahati and Shillong is a butter smooth tarmac that drivers from the plains love to speed up on. But what many do not realise is the twisty roads are not something to be fooled around with. I have seen plenty of cars from Assam loose control while navigating turns on the Meghalaya roads, even on extremely dry patches due to rash driving and ending up into a ditch. It is the rainy season now in ML and slow driving on the curves is something that is definitely to be kept in mind for those who are not accustomed to the hills and wet roads.

While I cannot rule out if anti social elements are at play here, it is quite surprising that only non ML cars are reported to be affected by this matter so far. But fleecing stranded commuters in need for 5k-15k is totally uncalled for. I feel whatever the real reason be, let sense prevail to the drivers and locals alike to maintain the decency of the beautiful hills.

I have travelled in that stretch before during our North East trip couple of years back and we found the locals to be extremely warm and helpful, not sure what turn of events lead them to this ( considering this news to be true). Just can't imagine what a nightmare this can turn into at high speeds/ low visibility conditions !

I also initially thought driver's carelessness as the cause of the accidents, but later realized that there seem to be substance in these allegations. North East is traditionally a high rainfall area and this road has been used even in wet conditions for long.

In December 2018, same day there were three accidents in quick succession. See this tweet with video from an Assamese news channel editor.

I have been driving on this road every month since many years and I personally don't believe this, having heard about it several times before.
The curves on this road are very inviting and a non enthusiast who is not used to hill driving frequently take these corners at higher speeds. There is usually no problem when the road is dry, but in rains there is a high chance of skidding off the apex of the turn.
The locals sure take advantage of the situation and arrange for the crane/ recovery vehicle at a hefty price, but I don't believe they actually spill oil on the road. I have seen 2-3 cars stuck in such situations many a times and while passing that same turn I never had any wobble or slide. ( oil spills are notoriously slippery). Also, it is always AS registered cars that is involved and not one meghalaya registered car. Now if there was a deliberate oil spill, how will those guys ensure that ML registered cars always escape?

This is hard to believe. This kind of oil spills may happen from any vehicle that tends to marks its territory wherever it goes (read oil leaks). It is also unlikely that a vehicle will skid off on such smaller amounts of oil spills. In fact, there is an increased chance skidding because of the rains itself.

“A lie repeated a thousand times becomes truth”. This seems to be true at least for Indian media.

I am from Shillong. Do this road nearly every week. I have a fleet of 16+ taxis, not a single driver ever told me of any issue on the highway with oil having been purposely spilled. I personally learnt how to drive in the hills. Have been driving for 22+ years now. It is common sense that you cannot drive on the hills like you do in the plains, no matter how good the roads are.

People coming from Assam think they own the road. They take these turns at 80+ on wet roads. The Mustang in one of the pictures was doing the rounds in Shillong yesterday. I assume that at around 12 noon, he was on his way to Guwahati given that I saw him around Mawiong headed towards Umiam. He was smoking his tyres. It had a UP16 regn. Rest it seems, has been a part of history now.

Also, how many of these people have actually gone and filed a FIR with the cops and have mentioned that there seems to have been a deliberate oil spill?

The person who seems to have crashed the Mustang seems to be fond of fancy cars and as I had mentioned, it indeed has a UP16 (temp) registration. Also, please note that we have been blessed by the Rain Gods of late and have been receiving heavy to extremely heavy rains in these parts. If you look at the photos of the crash site, it is obvious that he crashed his vehicle on a relatively muddy stretch of road with a lot of accumulated sand and gunk at the sides. Why blame the locals when you seem to have lost control? Publicity, insurance or sympathy?

https://twitter.com/NbAldrin/status/1147555802871320576

I was born an brought up in Guwahati.
Every word in Sumit's post is true.

One reason for oil in the road could be the first car gets skidded off and crashes into the road boundaries and its oil get spilled. The next car to get skidded on the spill blame people for deliberate act.

As recently as few weeks back there was a video in circulation where four supercars, including one that looked like an Aventador, were racing in that stretch.

Firstly, the first two photos in this thread are not from this Mustang crash. I know. I just happen to know.

Secondly, if someone is regular with this stretch of road, this particular carriageway is from Shillong towards Guwahati. The Mustang probably approached the turn at a high speed and skidded off. Absolutely and completely a driver error. In all probability, there was no oil spill, even due to a previous crash, here. I can vouch for it.

I also almost seem to know the exact location of this crash going by that TopCem hoarding but I won't say for certain.

Now, my curiosity led me to this tweet from Meghalaya Police's official twitter handle which I seem to have missed even though I follow them on the platform.

https://twitter.com/MeghalayaPolice/...29066032533504

Apparently, the force has also registered a criminal case against Guwahati Plus for spreading falsehoods.

https://twitter.com/the_newspot/stat...56529061494785

I came across this video on youtube. This is about Shillong Guwahati Road. Though the man speaks in Assamese, which I am not familiar with, I guess he is also speaking about Mobile on road. You may have a look at the video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BwPEgjIKDA&t=6s

If this is true, the people behind this should be tried under every possible section of the law.

My gut feeling tells me that it isn't true. Reason: Unskilled Indian drivers + lack of respect for the conditions. We've to understand that we're still a developing country and our roads aren't the safest, especially when wet.

Is this for real, are we living in the most developing economy, or some part of Somalia where pirates take advantage of such situations. This clearly is a law and order situation.