The Meghalaya Pradesh Mahila Congress (MPMC) on Tuesday urged the state government to stop using Ward’s Lake in Shillong for official programmes, saying the iconic public space should be preserved for citizens and not routinely taken over for government events. Addressing the issue, MPMC president Joplyn Scott Shylla said Ward’s Lake is one of the few accessible open spaces in the city used daily by morning walkers, women, senior citizens and tourists, and its frequent closure for official functions disrupts public access and convenience. She criticised the government for what she described as poor urban planning and stressed that shrinking green spaces and growing traffic congestion make it imperative to protect such common areas. The Mahila Congress demanded that official events be shifted to designated venues and called for greater public consultation before decisions are taken on the use of public recreational spaces, underlining that Ward’s Lake holds environmental, social and cultural significance for Shillong residents.
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