Shillong, Jun 6: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has defended the traffic disruption caused due to temporary restrictions on vehicular movement during the transit of VIPs and VVIPs, stating they were necessary for security reasons.
Severe traffic snarls brought Shillong to a standstill during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit on Thursday that triggered sharp public criticism.
Commuters and residents took to social media and local forums to vent frustration over hours-long jams as roads were blocked for the movement of Shah and other dignitaries attending the North Eastern Council plenary session.
In response to the backlash, Sangma who walked to the SSA Ground to catch the final match of the Meghalaya State League yesterday, acknowledged the public’s inconvenience but said that the presence of numerous high-ranking officials, including eight chief ministers and several union ministers, demanded strict security protocols.
“Certain procedures had to be followed whenever such a large number of constitutional authorities and senior leaders were present in the state,” he said, adding that such situations “occur only occasionally and not on a daily basis.”
The chief minister assured that the government would “try its best to ensure that such inconveniences are reduced in the future,” and reiterated that security protocols for high-ranking dignitaries necessitated the curbs.
