SHILLONG, Oct 31: The development to make the state capital a smart city is concentrated beyond its perimeter – in the New Shillong Township (NST).
The NST project came up in the second Shillong Master Plan (1991-2011) and the township was proposed near Mawdiangdiang, spread across 20.3 sq. km to ease urban congestion in Shillong.
The government is planning to shift the administrative and commercial activities to Mawdiangdiang-Umsawli and the adjoining areas to give Shillong some breathing space.
The current population of Shillong’s metro area is estimated at 4.8 lakh, about 2 lakh more than the conservative count.
Despite its growth, Shillong continues to lack basic infrastructure and amenities that prevents it from becoming a smart city in the true sense.
Shillong – Umroi, rather – is connected to Kolkata, Silchar, Aizawl and Dibrugarh by flight, but there’s no air connectivity to major cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai in spite of heavy demands for service on these sectors.
Despite being a major tourist destination, with 15 lakh people visiting the state this year, Shillong depends largely on the airport in Guwahati about 120 km away.
Meghalaya is also losing out on train connectivity unlike the capitals or nearest major towns in the other northeastern states due to the fear of pressure groups that the railways would lead to a large-scale influx unless the Inner Line Permit system is in place.
The roads, too, have been suffering from inadequate maintenance and upgrades.
The three national highways in the state — NH-6 (Jorabat-Shillong-Jowai-Ratacherra), NH-106 (Rilbong Junction-Nongstoin) and NH-206 (Jowai-Dawki-Mylliem) are in need of urgent repairs. The Shillong-Dawki Road project has remained largely abandoned barring a few stretches.
The roads within the city are also in need of repair.
Another downside for Shillong, residents said, is the lack of an organised public transportation system. Local taxis are the most common mode of day-to-day transport in the city, but their fares and routes are not regulated.
Most of the 240 public transport buses sanctioned in 2011 under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and provided to the state in batches, are off the roads and awaiting scrapping. Similar is the fate of the maxi cabs.
The city also does not have ride-sharing app-based services for four-wheelers such as Ola and Uber, which are common in other cities. The concept of scooter taxis (two-wheelers) started in Shillong but is unregulated.
The biggest project the city faces is perhaps traffic congestion because the roads are narrow and have no scope for expansion.
If that were not enough, the traffic light system installed at more than Rs 1.9 crore was abandoned. Ambitious plans for constructing flyovers have not taken off while ropeway and cable car projects are in their infancy.
Another drawback for the city is the absence of a designated area for street vendors and hawkers. Consequently, they occupy footpaths and road space, adding to the problem of traffic congestion.
Shillong also suffers from poor internet connectivity at a time when the 5G network has been introduced in other parts of the country.
The city lacks recreation zones for children and adults too except for the Ka Phan Nonglait Park and Wards Lake. There are no dedicated pedestrian zones or open spaces for joggers and morning walkers.
Among the other weaknesses of the city are erratic water and power supply, residents said.
