SHILLONG, Dec 23: The Meghalaya capital has not seen any major development in terms of infrastructure, good public transport or civic amenities in the past few years.
The traffic in Shillong has increased manifolds but the roads are not getting wider. Projects such as the Rilbong to Upper Shillong four-lane road are in limbo.
The last project that materialised was the Mawlai Bypass in 2019 apart from the Shillong-Diengpasoh Road that was strengthened.
Many parts of the city do not have pavements and the walkways in some areas are in a bad shape, forcing people to walk on the roads.
Barring a few localities, most areas of the capital city do not have streetlights. High mast lights installed in some locations years ago are badly in need of repairs or replacement.
Even the new Assembly building in the New Shillong Township got delayed after its dome collapsed earlier this year.
Some of the bright spots are the international performing arts centre in the form of Shillong International Centre for Performing Arts and Culture (SICPAC) and the IT Park in New Shillong. The Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) was made functional too but connectivity between the bus terminus and the city continues to be a major issue.
There is no solution in sight for the city’s public transport woes with the electric bus plan yet to see the light of day. Commuters are still dependent on a few hundred local cabs and some government-run buses and maxi taxis.
A few bike taxi operators, however, have provided a faster commuting option.
The city has more vehicles than the parking lots can accommodate. The three major parking lots at Anjalee, Iew Mawlong and Police Bazar were constructed years ago.
The government had recently called for a tender to construct a multilevel parking lot at Mawkhar.
A few shopping markets under construction in the Polo and Laitumkhrah areas are likely to drive the need for more parking lots.
Several localities have been beautified under a government campaign but the main thoroughfares seem to have been neglected. The only visible project is at the Fire Brigade junction but the high-mast light there has not been made functional.
However, the government intends to beautify 12 junctions under the Smart City project.
Barring a few private hospitals and the central government-run NEIGRIHMS, the city is yet to have even a medical college.
The Shillong Airport at Umroi raised hopes of the city’s connectivity to the world beyond but only a few small flights to and from other northeastern cities operate. The railway project continues to be stymied by pressure groups.
