Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma claimed that traffic congestion in the state is not a recent phenomenon but a long-standing issue that has persisted for nearly five decades. He asserted that the problem of traffic jams has been deeply rooted in the state’s urban infrastructure and planning gaps, rather than being a seasonal or festival-related occurrence.
“No traffic jam is not just today, it’s for the last 50 years we’ve seen traffic. So, it’s not that it is happening during the Cherry Blossom or is happening today only. Traffic is a major issue for us,” the Chief Minister claimed, underlining that the problem stems from five decades of unregulated urban planning.
Sangma claimed that his government is taking a systematic approach to address the persistent issue through structured parking reforms. “We just had a meeting with the Rangbah Shnongs and we were sharing with them that how a simple fact like parking was never regularised or a proper policy was never created in the state of Meghalaya, which means you could park anywhere and you don’t pay any fees. For the first time, it was our government that has now converted different zones into parking zones and fees are being collected,” he said.
The Chief Minister claimed that in the past two months alone, the government, with the cooperation of local bodies, has collected ₹7 lakh in parking fees, of which nearly 70–80 percent is returned to the respective localities to regulate the parking system — a measure he said is easing congestion across Shillong.
“Parking lots are getting ready — the one next to the Additional Secretariat is about 20 to 30 days away from completion. Similarly, in Motphran and other places also, we expect by March or April we should be able to complete parking lots,” he claimed.
He further added that the government has introduced a parking scheme allowing individuals to offer their land for parking use. “We are having multiple programs to look at the larger picture of decongestion in the city,” the Chief Minister claimed.
