UDP opposes construction of shopping mall at Barik

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 3, 2020

The United Democratic Party (UDP) has decided to oppose the state government’s move to construct a shopping mall on 3.5 acres of land being occupied by various offices of the state PWD (roads) at Barik junction.

The decision was taken after a joint inspection of the land was conducted by the UDP leaders led by its chief adviser and former deputy chief minister, Bindo M Lanong and the traditional headmen from different parts of Shillong on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters, Lanong said that the party wants to bring a manifold solution to the problems faced by the people in the Shillong city and one of them is the traffic snarl.

He said that the land is too small for construction of a shopping mall and that the government should consider looking at other places for the purpose.

Lanong also suggested the need to provide small parking space for the Shillong Civil Hospital, which is located nearby.

UDP general secretary and former Nongthymmai legislator, Jemino Mawthoh said that the inspection was conducted after listening to the concerns expressed by the different stakeholders.

“Most of the headmen are also against the construction of a shopping mall in this area. After discussion with them, we have decided to give a written statement to the government by next week,” he said.

The state government through the Urban Affairs department had last year, invited companies to take part in a competition to display their architectural designs for construction of the proposed world class iconic structure at Barik junction under the Smart City Mission.

Supporting this idea, Mawthoh said, “As you know we have been harping time and again about the congestion of the city so we feel, it will be a good thing if we can convert this piece of land into something else which will be more attractive and which will also serve the purpose of the different section of people of the state also the city of Shillong.”

He recalled that there was a particular architect Aiban Mawkhroh and his firm, which had got selected, had come up with a beautiful architectural design, which is multi-purpose in nature.

“As per the design, the land will cater to the requirements expressed by different stakeholders like you can have a parking lot at the same time you can have an amphitheatre, it will address the issue of greenery, issue of aesthetics, issue of congestions and so on and so forth. So we thought that would be a better option to have an iconic structure in this place,” he said.

“Shillong is beautiful and if you look at the city because of unplanned growth, it is going down day by day. Therefore, we feel if we get an opportunity like this if there is space, if there is land, let us convert it into something which is appealing and attractive so if people come from outside when they see this place, they will have something to take back home,” Mawthoh further added.

Moreover, he said with land being surrounded by educational institutions and other institutions including a hospital, to have a shopping mall will only aggravate the congestion and the pollution in the city of Shillong.

Stating that the ISBT is going to be made functional very soon, the UDP leader also suggested the government to instead construct the shopping mall at the Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) premises at Khyndai-lad, as it is already a commercial area.

“But don’t make this place (PWD land) into a shopping mall. This is our opposition and this is what we feel. We would like to implore upon the government of the day that they need to consider the concerns expressed by different stakeholders,” he said.

Asked, the UDP leader said being part of coalition government, it doesn’t mean that the party can no longer express its opinion on issues concerning the people and the state.

“We are in the coalition, differences may be there but we also need to give our valuable suggestions to the government. It is not that just because we have differences that things cannot move forward it’s the same you have family, differences may be there between members of the family but the family is still strong and can remain strong likewise same thing is with the government we are coalition partners but I feel if we have to, we need to give suggestion, we need to express our concern also,” he said.