Mixed weather
Holi, the festival of colours, marks the end of the winter season and the beginning of spring. True to its tag, the weather in Shillong has changed in the last few days since Holi.
However, the weather these days is neither hot nor cold, or we may say, a little warm in the day and cold at night.
Shillongites are unsure whether to pack their woollens or retain them for a few more days. There is a dilemma of course since the weatherman is predicting a mixed bag with a couple of days expected to be warm and the maximum temperature around the 25 Degree Celsius-mark followed by rainfall towards the end of the week and the temperature expected to fall to around 18 Degrees.
Perhaps the best solution would be to have a mix of both cotton and woollen clothes in the closet for at least a few days more. After all, no one can exactly predict the weather in Shillong like some other things.
Traffic jams are back
Shillongites have begun to face the all-too-familiar problem of traffic jams. With schools opening last month for the new academic session and the proposed school buses nowhere in sight, the problem is only set to grow.
Certain days in the last couple of weeks have been nightmarish for citizens due to massive traffic jams that lasted for hours. Some exasperated citizens lamented that the multiplying number of two-wheelers on city roads are creating additional traffic problems. They are hopeful of the recent announcement by the Chief Minister that a skywalk connecting Barik with Police Bazar would materialise within a year.
Skywalks would make walking a pleasurable experience, said a pedestrian who got out of a cab after getting stuck in a traffic jam between Barik and Civil Hospital Junction. With no solution in sight to the traffic mess, skywalks could turn out to be saviours.