By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 24: With the arrival of the festive season and resultant rush of tourists, hotels and guesthouses in Shillong are recording a near 100 per cent occupancy.
The flow of tourists is expected to continue till the New Year.
Hotel rooms in and around the city, including at popular spots such as Police Bazaar, Laitumkhrah and Upper Shillong, have been fully booked for weeks. Homestays and guesthouses in areas such as Mawphlang, Sohra and Umiam are also doing brisk business.
Tourists who arrived late are struggling to find accommodations. The budget travellers are also in a bind as tariffs have shot up.
The rush of tourists has worsened the road traffic situation. Chaotic scenes were witnessed in the city even before the Christmas celebrations began.
Heavy traffic jam occurred on the entire Khyndai Lad stretch and its nearby areas on Tuesday night. The situation prompted the police to take interim measures.
Vehicles were not allowed to proceed towards Khyndai Lad from GS Road (Shani Mandir Junction) and were redirected through Butcher Road to Rhino Point and beyond.
This, however, caused a chaotic situation at the Rhino Point. People were seen not leaving an inch for the vehicles coming from the other side. Traffic personnel appeared helpless. The Congress asked the state government to learn from other countries and come up with innovative solutions to tackle the perennial traffic problem in Shillong.
“Managing traffic is a challenge all over the world. But the government has to plan and go for innovative solutions,” said state Congress chief Vincent H Pala.
“Developed countries rely on technology. Similar facilities have to be provided to cope up with the ever-growing traffic problem (in Shillong),” he added.
Suggesting the involvement of all stakeholders, he said the state government should build infrastructure in terms of overpass, improve the public transportation system, widen roads wherever possible and regulate the procurement and disposal of vehicles.
Stating that leaving everything to the police to manage will not help, he said street vendors and hawkers are also contributing to the problem of traffic congestion.
Meanwhile, Pala alleged corruption has seeped into all levels of governance and it needs to be rooted out.