SHILLONG: NPP MLA from Jirang, Sosthenes Sohtun urged the government to allot developmental works in the border areas of Meghalaya-Assam which will make it easy for people to claim the land.
He shared brief anecdotes of his election campaign when he raised the call attention motion on the opposition of HNYF on the PMGSY road being taken up by Assam in Ri-Bhoi.
Stating it was embarrassing for him when he learnt how the people identified the areas belonging to Assam and Meghalaya as the people told him, “Jahan kaccha raasta –Meghalaya, jahan pacca raasta,-Assam.”
Sohtun said he found the works to be in progress by the Assam government when he visited the places.
Replying to the call attention motion, PWD Minister Prestone Tynsong said the executive engineer, PWD (Roads), Nongpoh Division cum PIU in his letter on April 17, 2018 reported the Assam government was presently constructing the two roads- Umsohbar-Belakhowa and Bakhlapara to Jimbarigaon and work was in full swing.
He added, as reported and verified with local populace, the area under which these roads are located falls within the state of Meghalaya.
Tynsong said that since these areas were under Meghalaya, the habitations of Jimbarigoan, Belakhowa and Ranibari were included in the Core Network of the state.
“Meghalaya PWD has prepared DPRs for three roads in the Jirang area, namely, Bakhlapara to Junbarigoan-2.25 km, Junbarigaon to Belakhowa-8.608 and Pahamshru to Ranibari-4.0 km,” he said.
He added the DPRs had been accorded sanction by the Ministry of Rural Development under Batch I of 2018-19 on April 9, 2018.
The sanctioned amounts for these roads are Rs 222.16 lakhs, Rs 875.68 lakhs and Rs 686.81 lakhs respectively.
All these works are full stage work up to metalling and blacktopping and it was reported that the alignment for the two roads currently being undertaken by the Assam authorities would overlap with the alignment of the DPRs sanctioned for Meghalaya, the Minister said.
“On the basis of information as available with the PWD, the construction of roads is on Meghalaya territory and should be stopped immediately,” he said.
Tynsong added as per the report of the EE, stone plaque indicating that the existing kucha road was carried through MGNREGA scheme under Jirang Block. Moreover, the roads have been sanctioned under PMGSY Meghalaya and is under tendering stage.
He added the MLA of West Gauhati constituency, Dispur, Ramendra Narayan Kalita on October 18, 2017 written a letter to the PWD Minister, government of Meghalaya to inform the construction of PMGSY road near Assam-Meghalaya border requesting for co-operation.
In this connection, the PWD department reported the matter to the Political department and subsequently as per the Political department’s advice, instruction was issued to the DC Ri-Bhoi district to submit a report to the government.
Tynsong said the Assam government without any further communication has unitarily decided to start construction of the roads in the areas which is inside Meghalaya.
“The government of Meghalaya will take all necessary steps to stop road construction works by the government of Assam,” he added.