Increase in vehicles in East Khasi Hills district alone adds to Shillong traffic woes

Staff Correspondent

Shillong: With 1,77,295 vehicles registered in East Khasi Hills district alone it is only obvious for Shillong to have as many as 25 traffic choking points. The traffic woes are further compounded by the entry and exit of other vehicles coming from other districts and outside the State. This was confided by the Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Bikram Sangma in an interview with The Sentinel even as he pondered on how to adopt a new strategy to tackle the growing problem.

Two years ago, the number of vehicles registered at the Shillong District Transport Office was 1,56,000 and the choking points were only seven, informed Sangma while informing that the sudden rise of new vehicles has added to the headache of the 400 traffic men in seven traffic police stations of the city. Interestingly, the SP also informed that traffic snarls in the city has its own peculiarity.

During school days, the morning hours is full of traffic bustles followed by the office hours. If there is a daytime reprieve, the same routine resumes again after 2 pm till 6 to 7 pm. The SP further informed that there are days of the weeks that further add to traffic congestion in Shillong city. On Monday, there is heavy traffic in the morning hours because the buses and taxis come in hordes carrying passengers who had gone home (villages) for the weekend. While Saturday which is relatively free from cars ferrying schools students and office goers, vehicles carrying tourists from Assam throng Shillong. There are 200-odd small tourist buses entering Shillong every Saturday and it does not include those who take a diversion towards Sohra or Dawki, stated Sangma.

Even as the traffic police team is looking for ways and means to tackle the burgeoning problem, certain suggestions have also come forward from IIM. He felt that some of the suggestions are practical and some others as difficult to implement.

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