Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma heads to New Delhi to force progress on critical infrastructure. He meets with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to fast-track the Rilbong-Barik and Umiam-Shillong four-lane road projects. These roads sit at the top of his agenda.
The Rilbong-Barik project is ready. The Indian Army, the PWD, and the NHIDCL finished their review after the state addressed all security concerns. Sangma expects a final green light soon. The Umiam-Shillong corridor remains more complex. Planners are balancing greenfield and brownfield alignments to fix traffic congestion, though land and local issues still cause friction.
Sangma will also talk coal with Union ministers. He argues current open-cast mining rules fail local miners because of the state's narrow coal seams. "The existing open-cast mining model is financially unviable for many local miners due to the state's geological conditions, small coal seams and high investment requirements."
The state government wants the Centre to tweak the Mines and Minerals Act. They plan to lobby for alternative technology that makes small-scale scientific mining pay off. Sangma maintains the pressure to ensure his people can actually afford to mine coal legally.
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