Work is continuing apace on the Shillong-Dawki Road widening project, even as much of the reasoning for the initiative is in doubt.
The road was meant to act as a superfast connection between Meghalaya and the wider North East to Bangladesh and boost trade and tourism. Dawki is slap bang on the Bangladesh border and the road is often called the Shillong-Tamabil Road, with the latter location over the border in Bangladesh.
However, with the revolution in Bangladesh in 2024 ties between the neighbouring country and India have only worsened to the point where the interim leader of Bangladesh has even belligerently spoken about cutting the North East off from the rest of India.
Despite this obvious threat to the full success of the project, though, cabinet minister Lahkmen Rymbui today expressed his gratitude to the central and the state governments for making the Shillong-Dawki Road a priority.
Rymbui said that if this road project is completed and the situation in Bangladesh normalises, there would be further imports and exports from Meghalaya to that country.
There has been much criticism over the implementation of the project, specifically two incidents that caused public distress last year – the pollution of the pristine Umngot River and then the disruption to most of Shillong’s water supply for several days. The latter, especially, affected lakhs of people and the government’s cack-handed response did not help matters.
Rymbui unconvincingly tried to make excuses for the pollution of the river, saying that it would be difficult to prevent during such a major project but that the implementing agency should not be careless or commit blatant violations.
The cabinet minister pointed out that as long as precautions are taken the effect will be temporary.
“Umngot is not only a river of Meghalaya, it is of the world and people. Whenever they come to Meghalaya they make it a point to visit the crystal clear water of Umngot,” Rymbui added.
