SHILLONG: The United Democratic Party (UDP) on Thursday slammed the State government for failing to make Shillong eligible for the ‘Smart City’ scheme and said it would write to the Centre to consider its decision.
Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, UDP working president Bindo M Lanong said the State government has failed to prepare and present its case in a proper manner before the Centre as a result of which Shillong could not qualify for the project even in the third list.
Pointing out that Shillong city is smart and is the oldest capital among cities in the region and the country with several establishments of importance, Lanong said Shillong was the capital under three successive governments of the British raj, the Assam government and now the Meghalaya government.
“Many pre-conditions like funding pattern of 90:10 for the project can be bargained and we can fight our case. Shillong deserves to be qualified for the project,” Lanong said.
According to Lanong, the Centre should relax the funding pattern since Meghalaya is a small State and the issue of funding pattern could have been presented before it.
The UDP working president accused the government of mismanaging urban affairs for which the State is facing several issues of congestion, and now Jowai and Tura towns are more congested than Shillong.
“The State government has failed in every department, whoever is in power. If it cannot redress the grievances of the people, then such a government does not have the right to govern,” he added.
UDP vice president Allantry Franklin Dkhar asserted that mismanagement of urban agglomeration could be the reason that Shillong did not qualified for the project even as he blamed the government for the lack of civic amenities within the Shillong city.
Lamenting that the rivers Wahumkhrah and Umshyrpi are still bearing the brunt of human onslaught, he said Umden, which is the beginning of River Umiam, has now become the second stage of Marten as all the garbage from the Marten flows into it.
