Shillong, July 15: The Meghalaya government has finalised a plan to improve street lighting and remove tangled overhead cables across Shillong, Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar said on Wednesday.
Dhar said responsibilities for installing and maintaining street lights would be clearly divided among the Shillong Municipal Board, the Power Department and the Shillong Smart City Limited to avoid confusion between the agencies. “We are on the job. Going forward, street lights in several areas will be maintained by the Municipal Board. The Power Department and Smart City will also handle proposals and maintenance in other locations,” he said.
The Detailed Project Report for the street-lighting project has been completed, while the Urban Affairs Department is holding consultations with traditional headmen to identify priority locations for the first phase.
Dhar said almost all major areas of Shillong would be covered during the first phase, with the Municipal Board responsible for maintaining street lights in designated locations. Some areas, however, would continue to remain under the Power Department. “We have reached a conclusion so that there is no further confusion. We will clearly specify the areas and indicate whether the Municipal Board or the Power Department will be responsible for them,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister also said the Urban Affairs Department had initiated measures to remove and properly relocate the large number of hanging cables and tangled overhead wires across the city.
He said Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma had already inspected some of the affected locations and announced the initiative. “We will target all major areas where there are excessive hanging wires and relocate them properly. The objective is to make the city look neat and clean,” Dhar said.
