SHILLONG, April 19: The Tourism department has initiated new tourism projects in and around Shillong and Sohra circuits in partnership with the Asian Development Bank.
Disclosing this on Wednesday, Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh said each circuit will get a funding of Rs 70 crore. To promote tourism, some pockets will be declared as no-honking zones.
Talking about other measures to enhance the sector, Lyngdoh said he recently had a meeting with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma who will soon declare Khyndai Lad as a pedestrian zone with some access to local residents on the basis of car passes. The entire area will be pedestrianised, he said.
The minister pointed out that the pedestrians in Shillong suffer the most due to space occupied by the hawkers and the motorists.
On the declaration of parts of Shillong as no-honking zones, he said the city’s USP is its serenity and quietness. He also said that the government is determined to decongest the state capital.
Talking about the issue of hawkers, he said this will require the Tourism department to work in tandem with the Urban Affairs, PWD (Roads) and other line departments.
Inspection of projects
Meanwhile, Lyngdoh also said he inspected on Tuesday two important projects, viz. SICPAC project and Orchid Resort in Mawkasiang.
He said that his department will try to bridge the gaps which were found in the SICPAC project, including the nomenclature itself.
He said, “This going to house the biggest theatre in North East India with a capacity of 1,700, and a lot of changes will have to be made and the handing over of the project to the state government has not happened despite it being inaugurated last year.”
With regard to his visit to Orchid Resort in Mawkasiang, he said a few areas need further enhancement and the department will be initiating a few major interventions in the project.
