Work on the Northeast’s first access-controlled four-lane greenfield high-speed highway is moving forward, with tenders already floated for the initial two packages and land acquisition nearing completion in parts of Meghalaya, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong has said.
Tynsong, who holds the PWD portfolio, told reporters that progress is being made across multiple fronts on the Shillong-Silchar Economic Corridor.
“For the proposed high-speed corridor project, tenders for Package I and II have already been invited. In Ri Bhoi district, land acquisition is more or less finalised. Alignments have also been finalised for Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills, while some portions in East Jaintia Hills are still under discussion. The expressway will significantly reduce travel time—from around three hours to about one and a half hours—resulting in substantial time savings. This is also an economic corridor, and once completed, traffic flow will increase as Meghalaya serves as a key transit state, thereby boosting economic activity,” he said.
On questions about why the corridor was not planned as a six-lane expressway, Tynsong pointed to the difficult terrain of the state.
“You need to understand that Meghalaya, unlike the plains of Assam, is largely hilly. Even constructing a two-lane road is challenging, as seen on the Shillong–Dawki stretch. In several sections, expanding to four lanes itself is difficult due to space constraints. Therefore, the Government of India has not opted for six-laning because of these geographical limitations,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the Rs 22,864 crore project on 14 March this year.
