Shillong, June 13: The Meghalaya Cabinet has approved the Chief Minister’s Regional Connectivity Scheme 2025, an ambitious initiative to introduce a fleet of 90 buses aimed at enhancing district-to-district and regional mobility.
The scheme will prioritize routes connecting district and block headquarters, ensuring timely arrivals by 9:30 AM and departures by 5:30 PM to cater to office-goers, students, patients, and local commuters.
In a move to promote entrepreneurship, the buses will be operated by private individuals, not government entities. The government will subsidise 50% of the total cost, including a 35% contribution toward the down payment. Beneficiaries will contribute 5%, while the remaining 60% will be financed through loans repayable over five years.
Cabinet Minister, MDA spokesperson Paul Lymgdoh said that electric vehicles will be encouraged under this scheme, and routes have already been identified. Emphasising sustainability and traffic decongestion, the scheme also aims to reduce dependence on private cars. “We want this to be a long-term shift in public transport culture,”