By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 2: The NPP-led state government is planning a series of initiatives to address the issues of traffic jams, illegal parking, and the need for a good public transportation system.
Officials said the government has prioritised improving the ease of living in Meghalaya’s urban centres and the Shillong Urban Mobility Policy has been approved to provide a broad framework to deal with the city’s mobility challenges.
They said government land from various departments is being repurposed to create space for urban mobility interventions such as improvement of road geometrics, renovation of 20 junctions, and walkways.
The first phase of this initiative includes the redevelopment of the Umshyrpi-Anjalee petrol pump, Barik Point, Malki Point, Dhankheti, Laitumkhrah, IGP, Khyndai Lad, and KHADC junctions.
The remaining road junctions in Shillong will be taken up in the second phase, for which Rs 50 crore has been earmarked.
Asked about illegal parking across the city, the officials said the state government is creating 1,250 parking spaces in Shillong to decongest the roads. Additionally, the government is offering funds to individuals to build parking spaces.
Through the initiative of the Shillong Smart City Project, the government is also coming up with an Integrated Command and Control Centre in New Shillong Township for Rs 214 crore. The ICCC is expected to be operational by next month.
The jurisdiction of the ICCC will be the entire Shillong urban area and it will be made operational in three phases. The ICCC will look after Shillong, New Shillong, and surrounding areas.
The officials said the Shillong Public Transport Service vehicles and maxi cabs are being fitted with GPS devices to monitor their services and leverage data analytics to improve their reliability.
They further said the government is implementing the Meghalaya Street Vendors Scheme to regulate street vending and protect the livelihoods of vendors. All street vendors surveyed within the Shillong municipal area will be provided designated vending spaces in the coming months, they added.
On the long-pending plan to introduce electric buses in Shillong, the officials said the state will receive 50 electric buses under the Prime Minister’s eBus Sewa Scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. These electric buses, crucial for checking carbon emissions, are expected to arrive by 2025.
An additional amount of Rs 13 crore has also been sanctioned to the state as a capital subsidy for the construction of an e-bus depot and power infrastructure. The depot for Shillong has been finalised at Mawdiangdiang in the New Shillong Township.
The officials also said the government conducted an assessment of the local taxi ecosystem and held multiple meetings with the taxi associations to ensure cabbies do not violate the rules and regulations.
“The government is working towards a tech-integrated solution aimed at increasing the income of the local taxi drivers while enhancing the accessibility of taxi services. This system will address the challenges of overcharging and overloading of vehicles. The overall goal is to integrate the local taxi services with the public transportation services, thereby enhancing first and last-mile connectivity,” they added.