By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 21: The ambitious plan to construct a vital overpass from Rilbong all the way to Barik now hangs in the balance – and the National Highway & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has drawn a red line.
Senior NHIDCL sources asked the government to hand over the defence land, or risk cancellation of the project.
Originally, the elevated structure under the Shillong-Dawki Road project (Package-I) was designed to be constructed from Rilbong to Anjalee. Land was acquired, and the alignment was finalised. But after the Meghalaya government pushed to stretch the overpass further till Barik to ease chronic traffic snarls, the plan was revised – only to run straight into defence territory.
A few days ago, NHIDCL officials walked defence authorities through the new alignment, which now cuts through restricted military land. Until the state government formally facilitates transfer or clearance of that patch, the central agency has refused to move an inch beyond Rilbong.
Work on Package-I of the Shillong-Dawki highway is racing toward completion by January 2026, leaving little time for resolution. If the deadlock persists, the road will terminate at Rilbong as originally planned – forcing thousands of daily commuters to continue battling the same bottlenecks the project was meant to eliminate.
With the clock ticking, pressure is now squarely on the state government to broker a swift solution with the Ministry of Defence, or risk seeing one of Shillong’s most crucial traffic-relief projects permanently scaled down.
