Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday said the proposal to carve out the Shillong Urban Agglomeration from the East Khasi Hills District and create a separate full-fledged district would require detailed examination and institutional scrutiny before any decision is taken.
Replying to a short duration discussion under Rule 50 during the Budget Session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, the chief minister acknowledged the significance of the issue raised by Paul Lyngdoh, MLA from 18–West Shillong constituency, describing it as a matter of urgent public importance linked to governance, administrative efficiency and service delivery in the state capital.
Sangma said that with Shillong’s rapid expansion in size, population and complexity, it had become necessary to periodically review whether existing administrative structures were adequate to meet present and future governance needs.
He explained that Shillong functions as an urban agglomeration — a cluster of physically and functionally integrated urban settlements — and highlighted that such regions place extraordinary pressure on civic administration, infrastructure, law enforcement and public services.
Referring to the Shillong Master Plan (2011–2041), the chief minister said the planning framework was designed to guide long-term, sustainable development of the Shillong Planning Area, which spans parts of East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts and includes urban centres, census towns and surrounding villages.
He noted that population growth has been steadily shifting from the core municipal area to surrounding settlements, making coordinated planning and governance increasingly critical.
Sangma also outlined that the creation of a new district or sub-division follows a defined administrative process, based on criteria such as population, area, public convenience, distance from existing headquarters, availability of services, infrastructure, communication and financial viability.
Any such proposal, he said, must be placed before a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary, comprising senior officials from key departments, for detailed evaluation.
“The government will have to scrutinise and examine the proposal in detail in order to arrive at an informed decision for better governance and citizen-centric administration,” the chief minister told the House.
Concluding his reply, Sangma once again appreciated Lyngdoh for initiating the discussion, saying it had opened space for constructive deliberation on strengthening governance and administrative efficiency in Shillong.
