SHILLONG: Community and Rural Development Minister Prestone Tynsong on Tuesday launched twin projects at Mawlyngbna set to benefit the village immensely.
Tynsong launched a solar street light project besides laying the foundation stone for the Micro Hydel project at the Umkhakoi Multi Purpose Reservoir.
Mawlyngbna thus will become the second village in the State after Mawlynnong to have solar street light at vital points. The over Rs 1 crore project is funded by the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) foundation and facilitated by the State Institute of Rural Development.
In his address on the occasion, Tynsong said that the village is getting a transformation which will greatly benefit the people of the area. Since the village has a lot of visitors, he assured the villagers that the road leading to it will be repaired which in turn will enable the people to make a living from the tourists’ inflow.
Giving the example of Mawlynnong, he said, “The people in Mawlynnong earn around Rs 2000 per day, villagers of Mawlyngbna can also use the potential of the scenic beauty of the place to their benefit.”
He also indicated that people’s engagement in Government initiatives is necessary for the success of the programmes that will usher in overall well-being in the state.
K.N. Kumar, CEO, National Fisheries Development Board, the initiator of the solar street project, who visited the place, said, “We are looking for strong support from the Government.”
He also appreciated the people’s efforts and called the village “the most dynamic one”.
It may be mentioned that Mawlyngbna Multipurpose Cooperative Society was formed to supervise the inflow of domestic and foreign tourists to the scenic Umkhakoi Multipurpose Reservoir where the foundation stone for the hydel project was laid.
The IDFC Foundation will cooperate in the funding of the installation of the micro hydel project for the supply of electricity to Common Service Area.
The natural spring will be cordoned off to prevent contamination at source. Solar water pump will be installed on the outlet of natural spring for pumping water from spring to overhead tank for drinking purpose, while washing area will be shifted from the source of the spring and the source will be sealed.
The scenic Mawlyngbna Village with over 350 households is located on the southern slopes of Meghalaya bordering Bangladesh and falls under the Mawsynram C&RD Block of East Khasi Hills. The village is about 75km from Shillong and with earnest efforts to promote the main source of livelihood of the village, the C&RD Department, through the SIRD, Meghalaya and the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), facilitated the process of involving IDFC Foundation to fund the installation of several components in the Mawlyngbna Project.
Bad roads play
spoilsport
Scenic beauty adorns the path leading to Mawlyngbna village in East Khasi Hills, the verdant hills, sight of streams, huge boulders and green forests cover. However, the road surely plays spoil sport.
The almost unpaved road shows signs of hurried construction which did not last long. Although, workers are involved in repair work and extension of the existing road structure, only certain stretches are getting a make-over. Taking note of the scenic beauty of the place which adds to its tourism potential, good roads leading to the area is certainly a necessity.
