A popular protest site, city parking lot now barricaded for construction work

By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 26: The CTO parking lot, located next to the Additional Secretariat, has long been a prominent site for protests by political parties, NGOs, teachers, and individuals. However, this iconic location is now being barricaded to make way for the construction of a new parking facility.
Social media has been abuzz with reactions to the barricading by labourers, as the CTO parking lot has historically been a hub for various forms of agitation, from hunger strikes to overnight protests.
Last year, under the Shillong Smart City Limited initiative, the state government invited bids for the “design, build, operate, maintain and transfer” of Mechanised Multi-Level Car Parks (MMLCP) at Vivekananda Road near the Additional Secretariat and Polo Commercial Complex. The Rs 6.5-crore project will be developed on a 632-square-meter site, accommodating up to 58 cars.
The bidding document highlighted that the existing on-street parking of private cars and taxis at Vivekananda Road, which currently reduces the effective carriageway for traffic, will be shifted to the MMLCP. This shift aims to alleviate traffic congestion.
The site also includes a public toilet and serves as a taxi stand and parking space for Additional Secretariat staff. The new mechanised, fully automatic multi-level car parking facility is proposed to be constructed on the existing public toilet and on-street parking area, aiming to modernise and optimise the space.