SHILLONG, APR 28: The upcoming High-Speed Corridor will shorten travel time and “vehemently” increase economic activities in Meghalaya, with the state positioned as the main transit route in the Northeast, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on Tuesday.
Giving an update on the project, Tynsong said: “Package I and II, tenders have already invited and Ri Bhoi district, the land is more or less finalized, the alignment has been finalized. Even Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills but we do have some portion in East Jaintia Hills which the discussion is on.”
He said the corridor would function as both a time-saver and an economic catalyst.
“When we mentioned about the express way you will understand that instead of travelling 3 hours, the distance is completely shortened so that itself you understand how many hours we save,” he said.
“This is also the economic corridor, which I also personally feel that if we completed the project, the flow because Meghalaya is the main transit state, so ultimately the traffic flow will increase and the economic activities will also increase vehemently,” Tynsong added.
Explaining why a six-lane model was not feasible, he pointed to Meghalaya’s hilly terrain.
“You need to understand one thing as far as Meghalaya is concerned specially minus Assam in the NE region, it is a hilly area, it is not possible – now let me give you an example of Shillong-Dawki, even two lane road is so difficult. You must have seen there are portions, if you talk about four-lane it is so tight and it is so difficult,” he said.
“Therefore, the main reason why the government of India does not want to go for six-laning it is because of this constraint that we have in the state of Meghalaya,” he added.
The State Government has handed over the Umiam-Shillong four-laning project to NHIDCL. “We have already entrusted to NHIDCL. We have taken a decision from the state government that we are going for four-laning from Umiam junction or Lad Umroi upto Shillong,” Tynsong said.
According to the Dy CM, land and alignment issues for the High-Speed Corridor have been settled in Ri Bhoi, Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills, with only parts of East Jaintia Hills still under discussion.
By Our Reporter
