SHILLONG: Meghalaya Government is soon going to issue work orders as well as invite tenders for three massive projects that are to be taken up in under Smart Shillong City project.
Urban Affairs Minister, Hamlet Dohling on Monday claimed that the state was going much faster than many of the state in respect of the Smart City Project
The government now would issue work order for the construction of Laitumkhrah market at a cost of Rs 30 crore and call for tenders within this month for construction of market complex at Polo worth Rs 80 crore.
Dohling also informed that the stretch of road connecting the Governor’s House and Bivar road would be built into a ‘smart road’ which would have pavements for pedestrians, smart street lights, underground ducts where all power lines and optical fibre and sewerage lines would be managed at a cost of Rs 35 crore.
The Smart Road would also have provisions for capturing the speed of vehicles plying on the road.
Initially, they are looking to build 6 kms of smart city road on a pilot project basis and depending on its success, they would build around 25 kms more of such roads.
The funding pattern for these projects would be on a 50:50 funding pattern
Dohling admitted that it would be a tough task for the State Government to gather funds for these but department is keen to see that Shillong is developed at any cost.
“Whatever may be the cost, we are ready to take up these projects,” Dohling said even as he added that the government would mobilise funds.
It may be mentioned that Shillong city was included in the Smart City project in June 2018 after which the Government constituted Shillong Smart City Limited. Some of the projects will be taken up take up under the PPP mode