SHILLONG, NOV 5: Tourism Minister and spokesperson of MDA 2 Government Paul Lyngdoh on Tuesday said the reopening of the Them Iew Mawlong road will help in decongesting traffic.
Following a six-year closure due to the 2018 unrest in the Them Iew Mawlong area, the Mawlonghat-to-Bimola road is now open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., allowing vehicles to traverse Them Metor Road under strict security protocols.
Stating that the reopening of the Them Iew Mawlong road has nothing to do with the resolution of the issue, Lyngdoh emphasized that the reopening addresses public inconvenience caused by traffic congestion over the past six years. “I don’t see any link between this and the resolution of the current imbroglio vis-a-vis the relocation of the sweepers,” he clarified, underscoring that the road’s reopening is focused solely on traffic decongestion.
He further highlighted that resuming traffic in this area signals a positive shift, helping to normalize movement and reshape the area’s image. “For the past six years, that area has been seen as a troubled zone, but today we have removed that image by normalizing movement of people, pedestrians, and vehicles. It’s a very important, positive step toward decongesting the entire city,” Lyngdoh stated.
Assuring the public that the reopening is unrelated to the broader concerns surrounding Them Iew Mawlong, Lyngdoh affirmed the government’s commitment to resolving those issues independently. “The state government has reiterated time and again that it would resolve this matter, and we are committed to that. The reopening of Them Iew Mawlong has nothing to do with the resolution of the issue,” he said.