To Sunday Shillong,
This is in reference to the article ‘Road to Perdition’ published in your newspaper on August 6.
I am a tourist in Shillong and will leave the city after two days (August 10). A habitual morning walker, I went out early on Sunday morning to experience Shillong in daylight (I reached here on Saturday evening, August 5). I, again by habit, picked up a newspaper, The Shillong Times, from a pile of local newspapers in front of a shop. While going through the stories of the day, the article on traffic congestion on the front page of the supplementary section caught my eyes. I read through with great interest because this is one issue that locals should raise and compel the Government to take effective measures.
Before coming to Shillong, at least six persons, friends and relatives who had either visited Shillong themselves or know people who had, cautioned me against the ‘infamous’ traffic here.
“If you reach Guwahati at 2.30pm, then rest assured that you are not reaching Shillong before 8pm/9pm/9.30pm,” they had told me. I was shocked. From Guwahati to Shillong is around three hours’ drive and considering the usual traffic, it may go up to 3.5-4 hours. But six was unbelievable.
I believed it only when I experienced it. It took me more than six hours to reach Police Bazar where my hotel was booked. I always thought Shillong was a quiet city but honking cars and the unending wait cleared all the myths.
I was happy to see that the local newspaper has brought up the topic so prominently and presented a holistic view of the problem. I was also happy to read that the Government is seriously thinking about various measures to control it. The next time I visit the city, I would like to see a decongested Shillong where people can breathe easy.
Thanking you
Sabyasachi Ghosh,
Kolkata, West Bengal