Shillong, Feb 17: The New Shillong Township (NST) project is not a simple urban infrastructure site but an opportunity to transform Meghalaya by revving up its growth engine and being the biggest provider of jobs.
This was stated by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in reply to a short duration discussion during the Budget Session of the Meghalaya Assembly, which entered its second day today.
The NST is being built as Meghalaya’s engine of growth powered by four pillars – tourism, sports and culture, education and skilling and technology, the CM told the house. “Together, these sectors will attract new industries, create new opportunities and generate over 1.5 lakh jobs, making New Shillong a true hub of employment for our youth,” he added.
Sangma reaffirmed that the NST will create opportunities at a scale that touches every family and every community across the state.
Shillong is growing rapidly but is straining under the pressures of traffic congestion, limited parking and stretched water and drainage systems. Being an unplanned small hill station that has been thrust into the 21st century has left it unable to cope with its burgeoning population.
“These challenges are made harder by our hilly terrain and limited land but we are tackling them with a clear, phased plan,” Sangma said.
According to the CM, Shillong’s population now exceeds 5 lakh and a two-pronged approach is therefore needed – solve today’s problems in Shillong and build tomorrow’s opportunities in New Shillong.
The CM highlighted the move of hawkers to designated vending zones, new fleet of 120 buses, river rejuvenation projects, drain cleaning and public space improvements, support for public parking lots, etc as some of the efforts undertaken by his government for the old city.
However, the state’s vision of building a $10 billion economy rests on several pillars and one of the central ideas is the creation of a strong growth hub that can drive jobs and investment. This is where the NST comes in.
Sangma told the house that development of New Shillong dates back to 1995 and 2007 when 915 acres of land were acquired in Mawdiangdiang, Mawkasiang and Umsawli under Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
He informed that over Rs 6,000 crore has been sanctioned for the NST’s development, with nearly 30 percent already utilised for on-ground infrastructure and key facilities.
The Covid‑19 pandemic underscored the urgent need to develop the NST and to diversify the economy by establishing a new, resilient growth centre, he added. “This government has taken it as a mandate to translate this idea of New Shillong into reality over the last five years and has operationalised, funded and accelerated multiple components of the project.”
