SHILLONG: As Shillong city continues to fight congestion owing to the ever-increasing number of vehicles, the State PWD has submitted a proposal to the Union Ministry of Road Transport for expansion of the highway from Umshyrpi till 7th Mile, Upper Shillong.
Sources from the PWD on Tuesday informed that there has been no response from the ministry to the proposal.
“Once we get the approval from the ministry, we will prepare the estimates and take necessary measures for land acquisition,” the sources said, while admitting that the biggest challenge for the PWD is that a large stretch of the proposed road is occupied by the Defence establishment and it would be quite a tall ask for the government to acquire land from the Defence authorities for the proposed road expansion project.
In addition, the PWD is also contemplating a flyover in Polo area.
Sources informed that the department is intending to construct a flyover from BSNL quarters till Forest Colony to reduce the congestion in Polo.
However, the sources admitted that constructing public utilities including flyovers and roads in Shillong is not an easy task due to the peculiar land tenure system where nobody is willing to hand over their land despite promises of lucrative compensation in lieu of the land.
