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.