By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 10: Training his guns on the Smart City Mission in Meghalaya, Nongkrem legislator and VPP chief Ardent M Basaiawmoit on Wednesday argued that the government’s emphasis on commercial infrastructure runs contrary to the project’s stated objectives of enhancing livelihood opportunities, healthcare, and education.
Responding in the Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar reported that as of July this year, the state had achieved 77.81% overall physical progress under the mission. He admitted that the first phase might appear to lean towards commercial development but maintained that key projects in other sectors would be incorporated in the next phase.
Highlighting the Polo commercial complex, Dhar said the facility, inaugurated recently by the Union Finance Minister, is being made functional and will house 109 shops.
Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma pressed the government on whether any monitoring and quality audits had been conducted on the Polo project. Dhar replied that such audits had indeed been carried out by the department. Sangma also flagged concerns over reports of unusually high salary withdrawals by the Smart City CEO, but Dhar sought prior notice, stating the data was not readily available.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, intervening on the issue, explained that the government had initially floated a tender for the entire Polo building but found no bidders. Authorities are now exploring floor-wise or shop-wise allotments of stalls and a final decision is expected soon.
On allegations that outsourcing the commercial complex denies opportunities to local unemployed youth, Conrad clarified that government procedure required such steps to secure maximum revenue. He, however, assured the House that multiple initiatives were in place to address employment challenges in the state.