TURA: On a day the Congress party propagated the development aspect of the Mukul Sangma government at a rally in Gambegre, the NPP returned the salvo with a mammoth public meeting in Phulbari town where party chief Conrad Sangma questioned the failure of five legislators from the ruling side in developing the plains belt region.
The NPP chief also announced that the Singimari-Rajabala-Phulbari-Tikrikilla road, which is in its most neglected condition, would be made into a national highway should the NPP be brought to power.
In a meeting at Batapara Rongkhola village of Phulbari, attended by close to 10,000 people, the NPP supremo took pot shots at Congress legislator and Assembly Speaker A T Mondol ridiculing him for failing to bring welfare activities for the people of the region.
“Five MLAs from the region are from the ruling side and yet there is no visible sign of any development in the area. The roads in the region are the most neglected. There is absence of good education facilities, proper health care and still the chief minister makes tall claims of having given equitable development to Meghalaya. The people of Garo Hills know the truth. They will give a fitting reply,” said Conrad to a rousing applause from the crowds.
One of the highlights of the NPP rally was the announcement by Conrad Sangma to revive the non-functional Rongai Valley irrigation project and to convert the Singimari-Rajabala-Phulbari-Tikrikilla road into a national highway.
“I have already taken up the road issue with the central government and will further push to ensure that the road which is the lifeline of the people of the plain belt region is materialized at the earliest. The plain belt region is very important to ensure closer ties with Assam and West Bengal for trade and commerce and for this proper infrastructure is urgently required,” said Conrad Sangma.
Lashing out at the Congress government under Mukul Sangma, the NPP chief reminded his rival party that the people in the region had reposed their faith in the Congress party many a time only to be betrayed.
“The Congress has never respected the peoples’ mandate. This is visible in the neglect of the region. It failed to fulfill its promises to the people,” said Conrad as he appealed to the gathering to support the candidate of NPP’s S G Esmatur Mominin.
“If elected, Mominin would help the new NPP government because he will work in tandem with the state government to bring development to the neglected plain belt region whose people have faced immense difficulties,” said Conrad Sangma.
Giving a slew of promises, Conrad told the crowds that village employment councils under MGNREGA would be strengthened to ensure proper implementation of the central scheme.
“This scheme was suppose to bring a major transformation in village development but due to lack of planning and corruption at different levels there has been no successful intervention in the area,” said the NPP chief as he spelt out the party’s vision for the state and the plain belt region.
“We will not let the people down. We are not like the Congress who used the people as their ‘vote bank’,” charged Conrad Sangma.