Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the state Government would like to discourage the Government officials from using personnel vehicles. The Chief Minister said the state Government is asking people to use buses at different levels to decongest the Shillong town.
“We are ensuring that like for schools what we have done we have started to discourage people to go for personal vehicles and instead use buses at different levels to decongest the city, We would like to do that for Government officials also,” Sangma said.
Further, the state Government is planning to come up with multiple parking lots so that roadside parking of vehicles can be avoided. Talking to media, Chief Minister Sangma said, the procedure of starting a large number of parking lots has already started.
“We need to get vehicles out that are parked on the streets and put them in proper parking lots. So the procedures of starting a large number of parking lots has already started, you will see very soon most probably by Christmas or by January or February, 2024 we will see that the Wards lake area will have a new parking lot,” the CM said.
Stating that the space have to be given to everybody, he said, “Within the town and Secretariat area already two locations have been identified where we are going to come out with multiple level parking lots will be coming up. So now most of these vehicles will not be on the street anymore. So, our streets will be free and we hope that will lead to some level of decongestion. “
Apart from parking lots, the state Government is also creating waiting areas for buses and taxis which will help in congest the town.
“We are working on creating parking and waiting space for the taxis and for the buses. So whether it is Khyndailad or Motphran, you will see that the taxis wait for hours, 45 Ministers, till they have enough passengers they don’t leave, buses are the same. Simply pushing them out may not be a long term solution,” The Chief Minister said.
“Hence we need to create an alternative space. So we are working on that and we are expecting that also will fructify so,” Sangma added.
The Work for the construction of New Secretariat at the New Shillong Township is expected to start by April. Sangma said, the state Government will be shifting the entire administration of the state outside the main part of Shillong. The Government is in a process to get the design consultant for the new administrative set up.
About the proposed skywalk from Barik Point to Police Bazar, Sangma said, “Once we went to the implementation mode, we were told by the police department and others that once the construction work starts it will lead to huge traffic congestion one the construction of the skywalks starts.”
“Hence until and unless we are able to do other things we should hold on the works of the skywalks. So we are waiting once the parking lots come up and we see that some impact is there, and then only we will go ahead with the skywalks,” he added.