Traffic snarls: Who’s at fault?

Traffic jams in Shillong city had reached a critical point at least a decade ago. That the matter has now reached the High Court of Meghalaya is par for the course since that’s the last resort for aggrieved citizens in the absence of any redressal mechanism in the system. The irony is that the size of the roads has remained the same but the number of vehicles on the roads have reached humungous proportions. Add to that the cars parked by the roadside which reduce the space for vehicles to maneuver. An important point that the Court needs to take cognizance of is that the mandatory requirement for houses to be constructed at least 6 feet away from the road or the from a neighbour’s boundary is flouted with impunity. The mandate of the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) which issues building permissions is restricted to Shillong Municipal limits. Even there, the MUDA building bye-laws are flagrantly violated. Houses are built as close to the road as is possible and no authority dares to demolish these structures that violate building laws.
The less said about areas beyond Shillong Municipality the better. People are allowed to build homes even on 1000 sq ft of land which also includes space for septic tanks etc. Meghalaya is the only state where the law applies in the breach across all areas, from building over encroached spaces to not leaving the mandatory space for road widening should that be required. So, who is to blame for the traffic jams if not the narrow roads which have no scope of widening, thanks to petty-minded individuals who pay their way to break every rule in the book?
There have been incessant debates about the need for flyovers but nothing concrete has emerged. Every government that has been in power in the State has had only a 5-year vision. Not one Chief Minister has institutionalized any idea that is worth pursuing to its logical end. Each government that comes to power starts from scratch as if the one before it never left any footprints to be followed or any idea worth pursuing. If every task must start from scratch then five years is too short a time to complete what was started. The MDA Government has to show sincerity of intent by constructing flyovers across the city. The MLAs and ministers should visit Kolkata and see the multi-storeyed flyovers which are a sign of a government that thinks and delivers. Meghalaya has reached an inflection point. Government cannot be held hostage to law breakers. If demolition of encroachers’ properties is needed that should be done. The rule of law must prevail.