What would make a young engineer stay in Shillong?

Most of my batchmates from engineering college work in Bengaluru, Pune or Gurugram. Ask any of them why, and the answer is not just salary. It is density.

Tech careers grow where multiple companies operate in proximity, so leaving one job does not necessarily mean leaving the city. A single employer, however good, is a risk. Twenty employers create an ecosystem.

This is how we should view last week’s inauguration of the second phase of the Shillong Technology Park at New Shillong Township. The expansion adds approximately 1.8 lakh square feet of technology space for Rs 121 crore.

The State Budget projected that this phase, along with the Tura Tech Park, would generate around 4,000 direct and 11,000 indirect jobs. These are projections, and the State Government should be held accountable for delivering on them.

The underlying logic, however, is sound: space is a precondition for density, and density can help young people build careers without having to leave home.

Three factors suggest that this is more than just an office block.

The first is people. At the launch, the Chief Minister pointed out that nearly half of Meghalaya’s population is under the age of 20.

This represents either a demographic dividend or a wave of migration, depending on whether opportunities and jobs are created locally. The plan brings together the technology park, a Skill University next door and the State’s first government engineering college.

At the launch, the Chief Minister emphasised that courses should be designed around the actual needs of companies rather than attempting to train everyone in everything. For an engineer, this may seem obvious, but it is a lesson that education systems often overlook.

The second factor is the Government itself as a potential customer. Governments are among the largest buyers of technology, and a solution developed and tested in Meghalaya could potentially be sold to other states.

This is how small ecosystems often begin: with a local client large enough to give a young company its first serious opportunity and a credible reference point for future business.

The third factor is restraint. At the launch, the Chief Minister called for fewer grand announcements and more tangible investments and jobs, while dismissing MoUs that ultimately turn into empty promises. Anyone who has followed investment summits across India knows how uncommon such a sentiment can be.

There is a longer story here, too. The idea of an IT park in Shillong dates back to 2008. It has taken nearly two decades to move from the original idea to a second phase. That is too long, and the next phase should not take nearly as much time. However, this timeline also highlights an important point about stability.

Meghalaya has had 27 governments in 54 years, with some lasting less than a month. Technology investors operate on five- and ten-year horizons. Policies that remain consistent through government changes can be just as valuable as tax incentives.

For those of us who have moved to other cities and are considering returning, the questions are practical. Will there be enough companies to allow us to change jobs without changing cities?

Will internet connectivity be reliable? Will housing be available near New Shillong? Will commuting to work be manageable, without spending an hour in traffic?

These are the tests that matter, and they are fair questions to put to the Government a year from now.

For now, the opening of the second phase is a step worth acknowledging. For the first time in a while, the answer to the question, “Is there a tech career in Shillong?” is no longer a straightforward no. It is, “Not yet, but the building has opened.”

Views expressed are that of the author and do not reflect EastMojo’s stance on this or any other issue. The author is Founder of ONLYBEES, a creative tech company in Shillong.

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