By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 27: The Meghalaya Government will soon propose a few projects in New Shillong Township (NST) where a large chunk of land has still not been utilised.
Urban Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar said the new township is coming up smoothly with several projects undertaken there, including the new building of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
“We still have around 80-90 acres of barren land. We are proposing some new projects,” he said, declining to specify the projects.
Mawdiangdiang and its adjoining areas are expected to become a centre of governance in years to come with more government institutions being set up there.
The NST idea was conceived long ago in order to de-congest Shillong. Several institutes and facilities such as IIM Shillong, NIFT, Meghalaya Assembly, Information Technology park, urban park, Shillong International Centre for Performing Arts and Culture, government guest houses of Nagaland and Mizoram, Reid Chest Hospital, Hindi Institute, and English and Foreign Language University are lined up to be developed in the new township.
On the status of the Shillong Smart city project, Dhar said the department is aggressively working on a few projects such as a shopping mall at Polo and the upgrading of the Laitumkhrah market.
“We are also working on developing 2-3 new multi-level parking lots in the city and I am going to have discussions with the department concerned next week,” he said.
Dhar also said three departments – Home, Transport and PWD – are working together for de-congesting Shillong.