New Shillong Township: Master Plan, Phases and Land Use

Origins and planning history

The New Shillong Township is a project initiated during the preparation of the Second Shillong Master Plan, 19912011, proposed to be set up near Mawdiangdiang, spread across an area of 20.3 square kilometers, to ease urban congestion in Shillong. According to the 2011 Census, Shillong had a population of five lakh people but had the capacity to hold only three lakh, with the excess two lakh meant to be catered to by the new township.

A proposal for setting up a new township designed for 2,00,000 population was conceived, with 2,030 hectares identified to the east of Shillong city, to be developed as a joint venture between government and private initiative; government intervention was restricted to acquiring and developing 500 hectares, with only bulk infrastructure laid by government in the remaining areas. A departmental page (undated, appears to predate 2013) recorded 370.26 hectares of land already acquired at that time.

The project later stalled when the government sought to expand the township by acquiring 2,000 acres of community land falling under Raid Tunring and Raid Mawpdang, a move opposed by local district councils (as of October 2024).

With the setting up of the New Shillong Township Development Agency (NSTDA) in 2013, implementation of the township — including finance management, land acquisition and allotment, and infrastructure development — was transferred from the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority to NSTDA.

Current master-plan zones: Administrative City and Knowledge City

New Shillong's current master plan focuses on two major zones: the Administrative City, centred on the new Secretariat complex and related government facilities, aimed at relocating administrative functions currently spread across Shillong; and the Knowledge City, involving development of approximately 807 acres at Mawpdang and Mawkhanu to host educational institutions, research facilities, cultural hubs and associated infrastructure.

The Urban Affairs Department has acquired 807.7 acres of land at Mawkhanu to develop key sectors such as tourism, hospitality, music, sports, information technology and agriculture under the New Shillong Township Knowledge City (NSTKC). The Urban Affairs Department has separately been allotted 229.724 acres in the New Shillong Township at Mawdiangdiang to set up the Administrative Complex.

In November 2025, the Meghalaya Cabinet approved acquisition of an additional 35 acres of land at Tynring in New Shillong Township to develop a corridor linking the Administrative City and the Knowledge City.

On overall land assembled, a February 2026 assembly statement by the Chief Minister put it that the township is being built with a total investment of over 6000 crore rupees and over 915 acres of land procured from 1995 to 2017 — a figure that appears to cover only the historical 1995–2017 tranche, since later, separately reported acquisitions (807.7 acres for the Knowledge City and the 2025 Tynring parcel) are additional to this.

Phases and construction status

Officials describe the build-out in two broad phases, without a published fixed completion year for either as of February 2026.

Phase 1 – Administrative City: Under phase 1, the Administrative City houses key institutions like the Meghalaya Secretariat, IIM Shillong, NIFT, NEIAH, and NEIGRIHMS, creating a knowledge and healthcare hub. The Rs 1,231 crore Meghalaya Secretariat project is 35% complete, and the Legislative Assembly building is nearing completion; the area is also evolving into a commercial centre with the Unity Mall (40% complete) and planned commercial streets. 64.9 acres were earmarked for higher education and skilling institutions, and the IT Park has generated 1,500 jobs. Housing plans include 51.68 acres for residential development, with 10.9 acres for affordable housing (435 units). Separately, the Secretariat itself was reported as a ₹1,188-crore project on a 53-acre plot, whose foundation stone was laid in January 2025 on Meghalaya's 53rd Statehood Day, to be executed in phases.

Phase 2 – Knowledge City: Phase 2, the Knowledge City at Mawkhanu, will feature a major IT Park, Skills & Innovation Hub, a monolith tower, and a 40,000-seater football stadium.

A connecting corridor between the two zones is being enabled by the 35-acre Tynring acquisition approved in November 2025, described as land that will connect the Administrative City with the Knowledge City and support the planned relocation of the Central Jail.

Population, employment and economic targets

The original 1990s-era scheme was a new township designed for 2,00,000 population. More recent statements point to a larger service population for supporting infrastructure: a Detailed Project Report covers water needs for 32 villages, with the new system to provide 56 million liters per day for over 4 lakh people.

On jobs, the Chief Minister said in February 2026 that New Shillong is being built as Meghalaya's engine of growth, powered by tourism, sports & culture, education & skilling, and technology, sectors that will together generate over 1.5 lakh jobs, making New Shillong a hub of employment for the state's youth. As an early sign of this, the IT Park has generated 1,500 jobs so far (as of February 2026).

Supporting infrastructure

Mobility: A Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) has laid out a 30-year transport roadmap for New Shillong, including a structured road grid and improved regional connectivity. The CMP includes major roads such as the Ummir–Mawkhanu road (completed at Rs 201 crore) and internal networks, with New Shillong also expected to benefit from the proposed Guwahati–Shillong–Silchar high-speed corridor and airport upgrades. Separately, the Central government has allocated Rs 146.79 crore under PM-DevINE for a new four-lane road and conversion of an existing two-lane road into a four-lane avenue, including cycling tracks, utility ducts and footpaths.

Water: The new system will provide 56 million liters per day for over 4 lakh people, with Phase I (Rs 591 crore) under construction, drawing water from the Wah Umkhen river.

Power: The 33 kV Umroh Sub-Station and expanded lines have cut outages, with upcoming 40 MVA substations at Mawkhanu and Umsawli to strengthen the grid.

Planner / consultant and legal framework

Two separate planning tracks are documented. First, the wider Shillong-area GIS master plan: the Shillong Master Plan, prepared by the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), covers the Greater Shillong Planning Area and uses GIS-based risk mapping to restrict unsafe development in flood-prone and landslide-prone zones. Community consultations were carried out with several shnong (village) leaders and their inputs were incorporated before finalisation of the plan.

Second, a dedicated master plan for the Administrative City within New Shillong Township: earlier in 2023, the State government floated a tender for selection of an agency for preparation of a master plan for the administrative city in the New Shillong Township, and the State government allocated Rs 200 crore for preparation of this master plan along with construction of the new secretariat building and other government offices. The identity of the winning consultancy firm was not found in the sources reviewed (as of July 2026).

On regulation, all projects undertaken under the New Shillong Township Knowledge City must comply with the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, and the Meghalaya Real Estate (Regulation and Development) General Rules, 2016.

Where to find official plan documents

Official notifications, gazette copies and master-plan reports relevant to the Shillong/New Shillong planning area are published by the Department of Urban Affairs, Government of Meghalaya, at megurban.gov.in (see the "Risk Informed Master Plans" section for the NESAC GIS-based Shillong Master Plan report, and the Notifications/Tenders page for NSTDA-related circulars). Gazette notifications on master-plan area extents are published in the Gazette of Meghalaya (available via megpns.gov.in). NSTDA-specific administrative notices are also issued via the Meghalaya government circulars portal. No single, dated, publicly posted master-plan document specific to the New Shillong Administrative City (with a fixed target year and land-use percentage table) was located as of July 2026; readers should check megurban.gov.in periodically for updates once that consultancy's report is finalised and released.