In a strongly-worded order, the Meghalaya High Court has today pulled up the State government for coming out with a “fancy report” on dealing with the problem of traffic jams in Shillong.
The division bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by city-based lawyer Philip Khrawbok Shati.
“Though a fancy report has been filed by the State through the Secretary, Home (Police) Department, incorporating aerial pictures of the major junctions and areas of traffic bottleneck in the city of Shillong, there is little by way of commitment, planning or measures spelt out to tackle the traffic problem in the State capital, which is the subject-matter of the present public interest litigation,” the High Court said.
“At the highest, the report can be treated as a preliminary wish-list that cries out for a more detailed roadmap with timelines to be indicated, not only to deal with the present problem but also to make projections and be able to deal with the situation that may arise in 2025 and even in 2030,” the court added.
Expressing displeasure with the lack of seriousness by the State government to address the traffic problem in the city, the High Court said, “Unfortunately, as in other matters pertaining to the preservation of the environment, tackling illegal mining operations in the State and the like, there does not appear to be any serious or concerted effort or roadmap of the State government in such key areas that require serious governance and immediate attention.”
Further, the High Court said that several sections of the report refer to certain development projects being in the offing, whether for parking or for regulating traffic or for making it easier for pedestrians, “without any timeline or the slightest indication as to whether what is expressed in the report is a mere pipe dream”.
The High Court said that Shillong city is bursting at its seams and there is no space to expand in view of the nature of the terrain. It also said that the problem seems to be increasing with each passing day as the number of vehicles increases and, upon the curbs imposed due to the pandemic being eased, more and more people coming out.
According to the High Court, tourism is a major industry in the State and Shillong being the premier hill station there is increasing footfall in the city.
“The report does not indicate any previous plan or implementation thereof or even a present plan and its implementation within the foreseeable future. Certain vague measures are indicated and it does not appear from the report as to whether the measures indicated have been accepted or adopted or proposed by the State government or there is anything official about such measures or their implementation,” the court said.
The High Court also expressed concern that even though a previous petition pertaining to the traffic congestion and chaos in Shillong was disposed of by an order dated November 15, 2019 with the court exercising exemplary self-restraint by observing that no writ in the nature of mandamus could be issued as prayed for, the court’s request to the State government to consider the suggestions indicated in paragraphs 9 and 10 of the writ petition have gone completely unheeded.
“Indeed, there is no reference in the present report to the previous matter or the promises made by the State government as recorded in such order or even the request of the court to consider the suggestions as put forth by the then writ petitioner,” the High Court said.
The High Court has listed the next hearing of the PIL on March 17 “to ascertain whether the State’s approach to the issue shows any degree of seriousness, whether in obtaining the necessary expertise in such regard or providing projections and plans with particulars.”
