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Dhar Construction Company, managed by the family of Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Urban & Municipal Affairs, Sniawbhalang Dhar, was unable to complete two Smart City projects in Shillong. Findings from an RTI query revealed that out of 19 projects valued at over Rs 5 billion, the company was awarded three projects but failed to complete them as planned. One of the assigned projects was a smart road near Shillong Press Club in Lachaumiere, which was part of a 6 km stretch of Smart City roads. However, only 27% of the work on this segment was completed. Although the project was initially scrapped, it was later resumed with state funding. Despite this, the work remained unfinished, with construction debris such as dust and stones left on the road, particularly in the Lachaumiere area. Another project that was not implemented by the company involved the installation of 240 streetlight poles and a fire hydrant system. There was no significant progress reported on this initiative. The third project assigned to Dhar Construction Company is the installation of a grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic system across various buildings in Shillong. This project, valued at approximately Rs 100 million, has reached 55 per cent completion. The incomplete execution of these projects has raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of the Smart City initiative in Shillong, highlighting issues related to project management and accountability in infrastructure development. News source: Meghalaya Monitor