Shillong:
Urban Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar said that all the projects under Smart City are making progress and its total is Rs 700 crore (Rs 350 crore each from the Centre and the state government).
He told reporters on Tuesday, “We are seeking additional funds from the central government.”
He, however, did not disclose the proposed amount of the additional fund. He added that around Rs 140 crore was received from the central government and around Rs 54 crore from the state government.
The percentage of completion is different from project to project such as the Polo market, Laitumkhrah market and other projects.
Commenting on how the government would come up with Smart City projects following the increasing challenge in the form of traffic congestion, he said, “As for traffic congestion, we will work together with other departments, such as PWD (roads) and the Home department. Traffic congestion is a continuous process and we are working on this. That is why the government has proposed to shift all government offices to the New Shillong township area.”
He added, “If we widen roads in the city, it would be a tough job for the government because the cost of land acquisition alone would be more than the cost of the project.”
In this connection, Dhar said that the government has proposed shifting some of the government offices to the New Shillong township so that they can widen the roads in some areas.