Shillong: Shillong’s Smart City Mission is hitting a wall. Construction crews finished several major projects, but the doors stay locked. Residents are still waiting for public access to essential facilities.
The Polo Commercial Complex stands empty. It has been a full year since Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the site, yet it remains non-functional. The Business-cum-Tourism Centre at Police Bazar faces the same fate. The government recently floated tenders to get that facility running.
Work wrapped up on Phase I of the Laitumkhrah Municipal Market. The site is vacant. Contractors expect to finish the second phase by the end of this year. Officials also scrapped the six-kilometre Smart Road project after work had already started, citing feasibility issues.
Some spots are finally working. The Integrated Command and Control Centre at New Shillong Township is up and running. Multi-level parking lots across the city are open. The open-air gym at Ward’s Lake serves locals, but similar gym equipment installed on school grounds offers limited public access. Officials admit the disparity, stating, "The mixed progress of these projects highlights the need to ensure that completed infrastructure is made fully operational and serves the purpose for which it was conceived."
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