SHILLONG: The state government has strongly defended its recent decision to reopen Harijan Colony Road after clarifying that the move had no bearing whatsoever on the lingering question of shifting 342 families from the area.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Cabinet Minister and government spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh reiterated that the reopening of the road, which took place on November 4, was to ease traffic congestion and to reduce the public inconvenience that had been prevailing for six years.
The government's decision is practical in nature and is an effort to reduce traffic congestion and the inconvenience faced by the public for the last six years," he said. "There is no link between this move and the prevailing situation relating to the relocation of the sweepers.".
This, however, has been opposed by some pressure groups and political parties, who have raised concerns over the possible delay of residents' relocation in the Them Iew Mawlong area. The concerned ones, however, do not seem to win Lyngdoh, who once again claimed that reopening does not link the road with relocation.
Instead, he stressed that this normalized the area that, during recent years, has been deemed problematic. For six years, the area was described as troubled, but now today we are improving the situation with the restoration of the normal movement of people, pedestrians, and vehicles, which is a huge step forward in decongesting the whole city, according to him, who cited how the reopening of roads positively affected the easing of the flow of traffic.
Lyngdoh went on to reiterate the commitment of the government towards the resolution of the issue of relocation, which is, he said, a completely separate issue. He assured that opening the road in Them Iew Mawlong would not impede the state's existing plans for the issue.
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