Shillong, June 30: The proposed four-lane road connecting Rilbong and Barik has crossed a major milestone after the Army approved the proposed alignment, with the final clearance from the Centre now awaited, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Tuesday.
The Chief Minister said he will raise the matter with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari during his upcoming visit to Delhi to secure the project’s final approval. Sangma said the proposal was among several infrastructure projects announced by Gadkari during his visit to Shillong, but required further discussions before receiving the Centre’s nod.
To move the project forward, the State Government convened a coordination meeting involving the Joint Operations Command (JOC), the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, the Public Works Department (PWD), the district administration, and other stakeholders to finalise the alignment. He said the meeting helped resolve key technical issues, and the Army subsequently accepted the proposed alignment and issued its go-ahead.
According to the Chief Minister, the minutes of the meeting have been finalised and submitted, fulfilling a key requirement of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. He noted that Gadkari had earlier made it clear that the project could proceed only after obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Army. Sangma expressed optimism that the project would receive its final clearance during his visit to Delhi.
The Chief Minister also reviewed progress on the proposed Umiam–Shillong four-lane project, which he said will comprise both Greenfield and Brownfield sections to improve traffic flow into Shillong. He acknowledged that finalising the alignment has been challenging due to land availability, differing technical views between NHIDCL and the State PWD, and issues related to local landowners.
Despite these challenges, Sangma said discussions are progressing positively and expressed confidence that the alignment would soon be finalised, paving the way for approval from the Government of India. He added that the State has been receiving encouraging responses from the Centre and hopes to obtain greater clarity on both projects during the Delhi visit.
