+
Meghalaya’s Smart City Projects Achieve 78 per cent Progress by July
SMART CITIES

Meghalaya’s Smart City Projects Achieve 78 per cent Progress by July

The Meghalaya government has made significant progress in implementing projects under the Smart City Mission, achieving an overall physical completion of 77.81 per cent as of July this year. Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar informed the Assembly of this update.

VPP legislator Ardent Basaiawmoit raised concerns that the government is focusing primarily on constructing commercial complexes, which he argued is contrary to the mission’s objective of improving living conditions, including education and other sectors.

Dhar acknowledged that this may have been the case in the first phase but assured members that other important projects would be prioritised in the second phase. He also highlighted the installation of open-air gyms at various locations in Shillong, including Governor House, Mawprem, and Laitumkhrah, at a project cost of Rs 50 million.

Regarding the Polo commercial complex, Dhar stated that it was recently inaugurated by the Union Finance Minister and is now being operationalised with 109 shops.

Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma asked whether any quality audit had been conducted at the Polo complex. The minister confirmed that an audit had been carried out by the department. Sangma also raised concerns about the alleged large salary withdrawals by the Smart City project CEO, to which Dhar replied that he would need formal notice as the information was not immediately available.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma explained that the government had initially invited tenders for the entire building but did not receive any bids. The administration is now exploring whether to allot stalls floor-wise or shop-wise. “So very soon we will be finalising that,” he added.

Addressing concerns about outsourcing the management of the complex instead of directly engaging unemployed youth, the Chief Minister stated that the government must follow due procedure and ensure maximum revenue. However, he assured that multiple projects are in place to tackle employment challenges.


The Meghalaya government has made significant progress in implementing projects under the Smart City Mission, achieving an overall physical completion of 77.81 per cent as of July this year. Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar informed the Assembly of this update.VPP legislator Ardent Basaiawmoit raised concerns that the government is focusing primarily on constructing commercial complexes, which he argued is contrary to the mission’s objective of improving living conditions, including education and other sectors.Dhar acknowledged that this may have been the case in the first phase but assured members that other important projects would be prioritised in the second phase. He also highlighted the installation of open-air gyms at various locations in Shillong, including Governor House, Mawprem, and Laitumkhrah, at a project cost of Rs 50 million.Regarding the Polo commercial complex, Dhar stated that it was recently inaugurated by the Union Finance Minister and is now being operationalised with 109 shops.Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma asked whether any quality audit had been conducted at the Polo complex. The minister confirmed that an audit had been carried out by the department. Sangma also raised concerns about the alleged large salary withdrawals by the Smart City project CEO, to which Dhar replied that he would need formal notice as the information was not immediately available.Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma explained that the government had initially invited tenders for the entire building but did not receive any bids. The administration is now exploring whether to allot stalls floor-wise or shop-wise. “So very soon we will be finalising that,” he added.Addressing concerns about outsourcing the management of the complex instead of directly engaging unemployed youth, the Chief Minister stated that the government must follow due procedure and ensure maximum revenue. However, he assured that multiple projects are in place to tackle employment challenges.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

KONE Opens India's First Digital Experience Centre in Pune

KONE, a global elevator and escalator manufacturer, has inaugurated its first Digital Experience Centre (DEC) in India, located in Pune. The facility aims to showcase how artificial intelligence (AI), connectivity and data-driven technologies can enhance customer experiences and improve building operations.The centre was inaugurated by Jussi Herlin, Executive Vice Chair, KONE Corporation; Philippe Delorme, President and CEO, KONE; and Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, Infosys.Designed as an interactive customer environment, the facility demonstrates digital solutions cover..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

CII GreenCo Launches Circularity Guidelines for Indian Industry

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) GreenCo Council has launched the CII GreenCo Circularity Guidelines – Pilot Version at the 17th CII GreenCo Waste & Resource Management Summit 2026 in Chennai. The initiative aims to strengthen resource efficiency, waste reduction and circular economy practices across Indian manufacturing and process industries.The guidelines introduce a structured framework with circularity indices covering raw materials, consumables, packaging and other resource inputs. These indicators will help industries assess existing practices, identify opportunities to ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Global Electronics Association Launches IPC-1783-CO2E Standard

The Global Electronics Association has introduced IPC-1783-CO2E, a new international standard aimed at improving consistency, transparency and comparability in product carbon footprint reporting across the electronics manufacturing industry.The standard, titled International Standard for Data Collection and Reporting of CO2 Equivalent (CO2e) Emissions for the Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain, provides industry-specific guidance for collecting, estimating and reporting carbon emissions data.With increasing regulatory requirements and customer expectations, electronics manufacturers face c..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code