12-hr road blockade in Nongstoin on Feb 13

NONGSTOIN: Five NGOs from West Khasi Hills District including the West Khasi Students’ Union (WKSU), Western People Movement (WPM), Western Youth Federation (WYF), Western Youth Welfare Council (WYWC) Nongstoin Circle and Hynniewtrep People Social Organization (HPSO) Central Body, on Monday announced a 12-hour road blockade at Nongstoin, West Khasi Hills on Wednesday.
The road blockade will be effective from 5 am to 5 pm on Wednesday (February 12).
The road blockade call is in protest against the delay by the PWD Department in reconstructing the Nongstoin-Sohpian Road, despite fund worth Rs. 2.59 crore being sanctioned by the Government.
Spokesman of the five NGOs, Khlainbor Thongni, who is also the Circle President of WKSU, said that the five organisations have decided to go ahead with the agitation due to the inaction of the PWD in starting reconstruction of the Nongstoin-Sohpian road.
He informed that leaders of the NGOs had recently met the Chief Executive Engineer, PWD, Shillong, and had been assured that the work would be completed by the last week of February 2014.
The organisations have highlighted that the Synod Sepngi Church Service would be held in the first week of March at Nongstoin, which would draw thousands of believers and the deplorable condition of the said road would prove to be a severe inconvenience for the thousands who would gather at Nongstoin for the all-important programme.
“This is only our first step of agitation and if the government is still reluctant in fulfilling our demand, we will have to move to our next step of agitation programme,” Thongni warned, while urging the public to cooperate with the organisations on the crucial issue.