Encroached roads in Jhalupara and Mawbah
Every evening, as Shillong winds up for the day, Jhalupara and Mawbah descend into a familiar nightmare. What should be bustling but manageable market stretches have transformed into battlegrounds of survival and neglect.
Take a walk from Mahavira Park to Mawbah any evening and you are sure to experience your worst nightmare. Hawkers have claimed prime real estate right on the narrow road. Vegetable sellers, fruit sellers and others selling snacks and titbits take up majority of the space. Four-wheelers and two-wheelers occupy whatever space is left vacant by vendors. Illegally-parked vehicles are everywhere. Heavy goods vehicles also add to the chaos, turning two-lane roads into single-file ordeals.
Illegal Rapido drivers add their own twist to the chaos. Operating in large numbers, they park their two-wheelers wherever they want, soliciting rides and blocking movement.
Vehicles from various other localities descend into Jhalupara and Mawbah for their daily quota of “poison”, parking according to their whims and fancies.
What makes this situation particularly infuriating is the laissez faire attitude of the authorities tasked with fixing it. The Shillong Cantonment Board (SCB), responsible for maintaining order within its jurisdictions, has done nothing.
Parking areas have been auctioned off to the highest bidder, and whoever has bagged the deal is doing everything in his/her capacity to increase profits by allowing double side parking, often permitting trucks to enter and park on the narrow street. Parking fees from trucks is collected according to the number of wheels on the truck.
Often, drivers park their vehicles right next to the vendors on the middle of the street to make purchases, caring two hoots about the inconvenience caused to others.
Expected to come up with a solution to address the chaos, the SCB officers came up with the brilliant idea of constructing public toilets in the prime space after clearing illegal encroachment in the area.
Toilets were constructed, until they realised that it would be unhygienic for the public. So, they constructed some more public toilets nearby.
Whoever came up with this idea deserves kudos for such innovation.
Residents of Jhalupara and Mawbah deserve better. They deserve clear walking space, orderly markets, regulated stands, and ease of life.
Is it too much to ask from the authorities?
Urban strain of Shillong
Shillong was once defined by its walkable streets and a slower pace of life. Today, that rhythm has changed. Residents describe a city struggling under a weight of urban pressure that many now find emotionally and physically exhausting.
The city’s traffic crisis is no longer a mere peak-hour inconvenience. For young residents and the workforce, daily commuting has become a draining routine that consumes time once reserved for family, rest, and productivity. Routes that previously took minutes now stretch unpredictably, particularly around major junctions and commercial hubs. The congestion points to a deeper issue: a city expanding far faster than it is being planned.
Beyond the roads, the signs of urban strain are visible in broken footpaths, shrinking pedestrian spaces, and roadside garbage. In a hill station long admired for its calm atmosphere, walking has become difficult in several localities. Many residents feel Shillong is transitioning into a vehicle-first city, despite a terrain never designed for such pressure.
This shift is felt acutely by the city’s creative community and small business owners. Cafés, music venues, and public corners that once fostered social interaction are increasingly overshadowed by noise and overcrowding.
While tourism remains a vital economic driver, it has become a complicated subject. Residents are expressing growing concern over whether the city’s aging infrastructure can sustain the rising influx of visitors. The fear is not of tourism itself, but that the city is losing the very character that makes it a destination.
Because this decline is gradual rather than sudden, it rarely makes headlines.
Yet, in everyday conversations across the city, the sentiment remains the same: Shillong is no longer just becoming busier—it is becoming tired.
