SHILLONG, APR 29: The Meghalaya State Planning Board has said the state’s preparations for hosting the National Games next year are progressing well, with the board set to visit venues and submit necessary suggestions to the government soon.

Board Chairman AT Mondal said Wednesday’s deliberations remained inconclusive due to parallel meetings with a visiting central team.

“The board has sat to deliberate on the preparedness of the National Games, which is supposed to be held next year,” Mondal said.

“Our meeting was inconclusive because there is a central team from sports department has come and they are also having a meeting. We are again sitting,” he added.

Mondal said the board went through key aspects of the Games plan.

“So far so good. We discussed about the venues and how many games will be conducted in Meghalaya and what are the infrastructure and how we are approaching including the preparedness on the part of the participants and accomodations for the different discipline athletes and the officials, who will be coming,” he said.

He noted that while officials presented a detailed status report, more groundwork is needed.

“They have given a conclusive details of the preparedness but we told them that we need to again sit and we will be visiting the sites also,” Mondal said.

The chairman said oversight is happening at multiple levels.

“Sports department and especially the chief minister’s office is vigorously pursuing and Meghalaya State Planning Board as per its mandate, we are also monitoring,” he said.

“So far so good, things are going ahead and we as planning board, we are monitoring side by side and as I told you that it is not only sports department but also the chief minister’s office is also vigorously pursuing not only infrastructure but also the preparedness of the athletes.”

Addressing potential traffic snarls during the Games, Mondal said the board had earlier flagged roadside parking as a key issue.

“Yes government might have worked on that but what we have discussed earlier from planning board, it was given an idea that one of the reasons is that roadside parking of the vehicles,” he said.

“So government has gone to vigorously create more parking spaces in and around the city and definitely this will decongest traffic snarls.”

Mondal said the board has already shared preliminary inputs and will finalise its recommendations after inspecting sites.

“We have given whatever suggestion is required and we will again be sitting as we have not concluded yet,” he said. “The board will be visiting some sites.”