The reopening of the road running through the Sweepers Colony at Them Ïew Mawlong after six years of closure was the result of a practical decision to smoothen out the traffic in that part of the city and has nothing to do with the relocation process of the residents there, cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh said today.
The road has been shut down to vehicular traffic ever since it was the focus point of a days-long communal riot in 2018. Even with its reopening yesterday, security forces were on high alert and had a visible presence on the street.
“I don’t see any link between that (reopening the road) and the resolution of the current relocation of the sweepers. For the past six years, things have not been in order,” Lyngdoh said. “That area is a trouble zone but today we have removed that image by normalising the movement of people, pedestrians and vehicles in that area. I think it’s a very important positive step taken towards decongesting the entire city.”
