Shillong, February 6: Meghalaya’s Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma, highlighted that traffic congestion is one of the most significant challenges facing Shillong. He emphasized that the government has adopted a long-term, multi-faceted strategy to alleviate congestion in the city, starting with the development of modern parking infrastructure.
While inaugurating the state’s first automated multi-level car park on Vivekananda Road, near the Additional Secretariat, Sangma pointed out that haphazard parking and a lack of adequate parking spaces are major contributors to traffic jams in the state capital.
The Chief Minister stated that among the various challenges confronting Shillong, traffic congestion is the most pressing. To gradually and consistently reduce congestion in the city, a comprehensive strategy has been developed. The multi-level car park inaugurated today is just one part of this solution.
He revealed that the government has identified nine additional locations for multi-level parking, which will provide parking space for approximately 1,300 vehicles across different parts of the city.
Emphasizing the need for organized parking, Sangma noted that irregular roadside parking severely disrupts traffic and inconveniences commuters.
To address this issue, he highlighted the state’s new parking policy, which allows private landowners to partner with the government to develop parking facilities, enabling them to generate revenue from these spaces.
He stressed the importance of providing designated parking areas to prevent arbitrary parking practices.
The Chief Minister also outlined several parallel initiatives aimed at reducing traffic jams, including creating dedicated parking spaces for public transport buses and taxis in Khyndailad, relocating vendors from busy streets, extending the Umshyrpi-Seventh Mile Road, and proposing an elevated or four-lane road from Rhino Museum Point to Civil Hospital and Barik.
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