Conrad to take oath today, PM to attend

SHILLONG, March 6: NPP supremo Conrad Kongkal Sangma will begin his second term as Chief Minister on Tuesday from the sprawling lawns of Raj Bhavan where he and his Cabinet colleagues will be sworn-in by Governor Phagu Chauhan at 11 am. The MDA 2.0, a rerun of the previous Conrad-led government, has a strength of 45 MLAs led by the NPP-BJP combine and supported by the UDP, HSPDP, PDF and Independents.
As if to cement the NPP-BJP ties in Meghalaya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the swearing-in ceremony.
A senior government official said all preparations have been made for the VVIP visit on Tuesday.
Security has been beefed up in the city ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit and traffic has been regulated for the few hours the PM will spend in Shillong before flying to Nagaland.
Modi will arrive at the Guwahati International Airport at 10 am and will fly to Shillong directly from there. He is scheduled to land at Upper Shillong at 10.20 am from where he will go straight to Raj Bhavan. After attending the swearing-in ceremony, the PM will leave for Kohima to attend the oath-taking programme of the new Nagaland government.
The state police will impose ‘No Entry’ for vehicular traffic on all roads including all the arterial roads joining the highway to be taken by the VVIPs on March 7 from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.
The ‘No Entry’ order will cover the area from 7th Mile towards Umshyrpi Bridge/Rilbong Junction; Murgi Bazaar Junction towards Upper Shillong and Anjalee Pump – Civil Hospital Point; IGP Point – Kachari Point – Raj Bhawan; from Mahavir Park Junction towards Umshyrpi bridge and Anjalee Pump; from Police Bazaar towards Kachari Point – Raj Bhavan; from CS Junction towards Raj Bhawan; from Pinewood Junction towards Raj Bhavan, from St Anthony’s College towards Gurudwara Junction – AIR Junction; from Lower Lachumiere towards AIR Junction – Raj Bhavan and from Barik Point towards Civil Hospital Junction.