Shillong, Feb 18: A proposal to create Greater Shillong as a district of its own will be “actively examined” by the state government but Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma warned that it is “very complicated”.
A short duration discussion was moved by West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh of the United Democratic Party (which is in the ruling alliance) on the issue.
In reply, Sangma said, “As our state capital continues to expand in size, complexity and population, it becomes increasingly important to examine whether our existing administrative structures are adequately aligned with present and future governance needs.”
He pointed out that population growth has increasingly shifted from the municipal core to surrounding census towns and villages. “In view of unprecedented urban expansion, extraordinary pressure is placed on civic administration, law enforcement, infrastructure and public services,” Sangma said.
However, the CM emphasised that the creation of a new district involves well-defined criteria, including geographical extent, population, distance from existing headquarters, public convenience, communication, availability of funds and socio-economic considerations. Any such proposal, he said, must be placed before a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary and comprising senior officials from Home, Finance, Planning and other key departments.
“Regarding the proposal to carve out the Shillong Agglomerate from the East Khasi Hills district and constitute it into a full-fledged district, the government will have to scrutinise and examine the matter in detail in order to arrive at an informed decision for better governance and citizen-centric administration,” he stated.
Sangma informed the House that district reorganisation and administrative restructuring have been ongoing exercises and that the idea of carving out the Shillong agglomeration had been discussed multiple times, both in the Assembly and within the government. He also revealed that the proposal for a police commissionerate for Shillong is being actively pursued.
Describing East Khasi Hills as the largest district in the state, he acknowledged that there may be a need to improve overall administration, particularly as Shillong continues to grow with upcoming projects such as the new Knowledge City and administrative city.
Lyngdoh, meanwhile, had cited logistics, governance needs, crime management and administrative efficiency in his argument for a separate district. According to figures placed before the house, the Shillong agglomeration has a population of approximately 5,32,490, with a density of 8,200 persons per square kilometre. In comparison, he noted, districts such as Eastern West Khasi Hills (1,31,451), East Jaintia Hills (1,22,033), West Jaintia Hills (2,72,185) and South Garo Hills (1,42,334) have significantly lower populations and densities.
He further pointed out that nine of the 17 Assembly constituencies in East Khasi Hills fall within the Shillong agglomeration, apart from the Cantonment Board areas and New Shillong Township. “More than half of East Khasi Hills district is part of Shillong agglomeration,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with other metropolitan cities, Lyngdoh cited examples such as Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban districts, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, as well as the nearby model of Guwahati, which has a Commissionerate system. He informed the house that as recently as September 2023, a meeting was held in the Home Department to deliberate on creating a Shillong Commissionerate. “It has been repeatedly observed that the highest crime-prone district in the entire state is East Khasi Hills,” he said, adding that a separate Commissionerate for urban Shillong and a rural police district would improve law enforcement.
Highlighting manpower constraints, he referred to the Jhalupara police outpost in his constituency, which has only eight personnel managing densely populated areas up to Upper Shillong. “Is that humanly possible? No. Hence, the rising crime graph,” he remarked.
Supporting the proposal, Nongthymmai MLA Charles Pyngrope of the opposition Trinamool Congress recalled that he had raised a similar demand during the Budget Session of the 10th Assembly when two new districts were created in Khasi Hills. “I said, why don’t you give us one also,” he said, adding that the idea of carving out Shillong agglomeration is “a necessity.”
Mylliem MLA Ronnie V Lyngdoh of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) also backed the demand, stating that separate urban and rural policing is essential. Recalling an earlier proposal by a former Director General of Police to create a Shillong Commissionerate, he said, “With all the crime rates affecting Shillong City, I think it’s high time that we have a separate district administration, separate Commissionerate and other line departments.”
