Shillong: Themanagement of the ever-increasing traffic is the top issue concerning Shillong, CM Conrad K Sangma has said, adding that increasing parking lots in the hill city was one of the ways to tackle the situation.Traffic is the ‘number one’ issue in Shillong, raised not just by citizens but also by tourists, he said after inaugurating the District School Education Office-cum-Multilevel Car Park at Mawkhar and the fully mechanised Multilevel Car Park at Motphran on Wednesday.The two projects, implemented under the Shillong Smart City Mission, represent an investment of Rs 38.92 crore and create organised parking capacity for 200 vehicles across two of Shillong’s most congested localities.The CM said the govt carried out a detailed mobility study of Shillong for over a year and a half using drones, satellite images and vehicle counts.“One of the key findings was that while we are creating no-parking zones, we are not creating parking zones. If you want to stop somebody from parking somewhere, you have to give that person the option to park somewhere else,” he said.That led to a search for govt, community and private land to create parking spaces. The parking next to the additional secretariat was the first, and the Mawkhar and Motphran facilities are the second.Conrad also recalled that Union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, during a visit, had asked his officers to replicate the additional secretariat multi-car parking lot in Shillong throughout hill areas in the country.He said that under the state’s parking policy, the govt will fund up to Rs 1 lakh for any individual or community with land to build parking, with a small share of fees going to govt.“Ownership and management will remain with the community. The partnership will provide service and also generate employment for youth,” he added.Stating that these projects are part of a larger mobility plan to ‘create a more organised, accessible and commuter-friendly Shillong’, he said the new administrative city is coming up fast and the secretariat is expected to shift by Sept-Oct-Nov next year, which will bring major decongestion to the city.
About The Author
