Meghalaya Pumps Rs 795 Crore into Road Upkeep

Shillong: The Meghalaya government committed Rs 794.80 crore to maintain state roads across the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years. Officials earmarked Rs 416.75 crore for the first year and Rs 378.05 crore for the second. The state spent the full first-year budget. By the time of the official report, they had spent Rs 87.30 crore of the 2026-27 allocation.

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma provided these figures during the recent Autumn Session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. He addressed six projects funded by Externally Aided Projects that required time extensions over the last three years. These include the Bajengdoba-Resubelpara-Mendipathar-Damra Road, the Dalu-Baghmara parallel route, the Mawmarram-Mawlyndep Road, and the Rongram-Rongrenggre-Darugre Road. Projects in Williamnagar Town and the Mawklot-to-Umiam tourism road also saw delays.

Construction hit snags. Heavy rain and unpredictable weather hampered progress. The closure of the Umiam Bridge forced heavy traffic onto narrow side roads, slowing down crews. Workers struggled with hard-rock excavation near the Rongram-Rongrenggre-Darugre site, where blasting restrictions stalled progress. Williamnagar Town works suffered from drainage redesigns and months of rain-driven bridge disruptions.

Meghalaya maintains 825.08 km of State Highways and 1,034.254 km of National Highways. Most routes remain in fair or good condition, though construction persists on NH-217 and NH-206 between Shillong and Dawki. Contractors face penalties for falling behind schedule. Regarding contract enforcement, the government noted, "There were no blacklisted contractors under National Highways." However, they confirmed two blacklisted contractors under State Roads: Krishno Lyngdoh and Fullbarry Nongtner. All work under the Meghalaya Integrated Transport Project met its required deadlines.

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