Crippled by Congestion, Ignoring Warnings – Is Shillong Heading for Disaster?

East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner RM Kurbah has raised the alarm, urging people to stop violating building byelaws.

Is Shillong Heading for Disaster: Imagine your home engulfed in flames, the air thick with smoke, and desperate cries for help piercing the night only for fire emergency vehicles to arrive too late, trapped in a maze of parked cars and suffocating alleys. Imagine an earthquake striking the city, but there’s no safe escape because buildings stand too close together, their fragile walls collapsing like dominos. This is not a dystopian nightmare; this is Shillong’s terrifying reality.

Last year, a massive fire tore through the heart of Shillong’s busiest commercial hub Thana Road, Police Bazaar exposing the city’s biggest vulnerability. Firefighters rushed to the scene with sirens blaring, only to find themselves stuck in a labyrinth of illegally parked vehicles and sprawling market stalls. Every lost second meant more destruction. By the time they reached the blaze, it was too late.

One of Meghalaya’s most cherished institutions, the 131-year-old Khasi Jaiñtia Presbyterian (KJP) Girls Higher Secondary School, was reduced to ruins. It wasn’t just a fire that consumed its walls in 2023 it was history erased in a matter of moments. Generations of dreams, ambitions, and childhood laughter were buried beneath the smoldering debris.

Is Shillong Heading for Disaster?

How many more tragedies must Shillong endure before its people wake up? The city is a ticking time bomb houses built on landslide-prone slopes, buildings crammed together with barely enough space for a person to walk through, let alone an emergency vehicle. Every corner of Shillong is a disaster waiting to happen, yet authorities and residents continue to ignore the warnings.

East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner RM Kurbah has raised the alarm, urging people to stop violating building byelaws and to recognize that Shillong sits in one of the world’s most dangerous seismic zones. “We have to be prepared,” she insists, emphasizing the urgency of disaster management at the family and community levels. But how does a city prepare when it keeps constructing its own grave, brick by brick?

Illegal roadside parking isn’t just an inconvenience it is a potential death sentence. Every car left overnight on Shillong’s already congested streets could block an ambulance, a fire engine, or a rescue team racing against time to save lives. The city’s narrow lanes, choked with haphazardly parked vehicles, could mean the difference between life and death in an emergency.

Despite repeated warnings from authorities, the city continues to function as if blind to its own fragility. What will it take for Shillong to change? Another fire? Another desperate cry for help that goes unanswered? Or will the city finally listen before the next disaster strikes and it’s too late to turn back?

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