Cleaning rivers, market a priority
SHILLONG: Urban Affairs Minister Ronnie V. Lyngdoh has put forward a practical and immediate plan to make the city a better place to live in.
At a time when the euphoria over smart city is gripping the nation, including Shillong, Lyngdoh stressed on the need to make the city a habitable one by eliminating the existing shortcomings.
The minister said the Wahumkhrah and the Umshyrpi have turned into drains in the last few years and revival of these rivers should be a priority. “How about cleaning these two rivers first,” he said. Referring to the appalling condition of Iewduh, Lyngdoh said the accumulating filth in the market is a cause for concern.
Also, in case of a disaster in the market that has no emergency exit point more people are likely to die in a stampede. “Let us make these places more habitable, clean and hygienic with proper entry and exit points,” the minister said.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who visited Bara Bazar (Iewduh) last month, had also emphasised on the need to give facelift the market a facelift.
Land availability is a must for implementing the Centre’s smart city scheme but the city does not have enough land for even road expansion and construction of pavements, Lyngdoh pointed out. “The government could have thought about smart city if it had a huge land bank but the entire population of Shillong cannot be relocated to pave the way for the smart city project,” he said.
Reacting to a query on hawkers and street vendors encroaching on footpaths and roads, the minister said the Government wanted to address the problem of hawkers.
“Hawkers should have a livelihood but even pedestrians and motorists have the right to use pavements and roads. If you are encroaching on the footpath, you are also infringing on the rights of the people,” he said.
When asked about the funding pattern of smart city, he said the Chief Minister has taken up the matter with the Centre saying Meghalaya does not have resources like other states to fund the project on a 50:50 basis and unless it is 90:10, it would be difficult for the State to go ahead with the project.
The Centre recently announced the third list of smart cities and Shillong was not on it.