By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 9: Plans for “Eastern Bypass” stretching 9.95 km from Sohryngkham to Mawshbuit and Mawlynrei was unveiled by the state government in the Assembly on Tuesday. This proposed project aims to ease Shillong’s chronic traffic congestion by diverting commercial vehicles away from the city.
Replying to a question from Mawryngkneng legislator Heaving Stone Kharpran during autumn session of the Assembly on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister in-charge PWD (Roads), Prestone Tynsong said the bypass is part of a long-term solution to problems along the Mawshbuit-Happy Valley road, where the 58 Gorkha Training Centre has erected a gate that has inconvenienced residents of Mawshbuit.
He informed that the government had already received a gift deed from the Mawshbuit village authority to provide land for the alternative road. A preliminary survey has shown that the Mawshbuit-Mawlynrei stretch covers four kilometres, of which 300 metre falls under defence land. The government, he added, is in talks with defence authorities to secure access for the construction.
Tynsong further said that once the Sohryngkham-Mawshbuit and Mawshbuit-Mawlynrei stretches are connected, the route will function as the Eastern Bypass, eliminating the need for commercial vehicles to enter Shillong. He stressed that the government is committed to a permanent solution and expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved.
On the 600-metre Mawshbuit–Happy Valley road under defence control, the Deputy Chief Minister pointed out that its condition is deplorable. He said the government would take up the matter with defence authorities for repair, but if they decline, the state is prepared to carry out the work. He also noted that a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the defence establishment is expected soon.
Tynsong assured that the government’s focus is on ensuring residents of Mawshbuit no longer face road-related hardships, with the bypass project forming the centrepiece of its permanent solution.