SHILLONG: Delegates from four East Jaintia Hills villages led by Khliehriat MLA and social welfare minister, Kyrmen Shylla met chief minister Conrad Sangma and apprised him of the poor road condition in the hamlets.
The villages, Hingaria, Huroi, Lahalein and Lejri, are located close to the Bangladesh border.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday after meeting the chief minister, one of the delegates, Kynjaimon Amse said the main concern of the villagers were that two projects – Rymbai-Borkhat-Jalalpur road and Borkhat-Sonapur road – were still pending.
He said the villages are home to a population of more than 5000 people, mainly farmers and who make a living by cultivating and selling betel-nuts and betel-leaves.
Amse said the villages are connected by the Borkhat-Sonapur road, which is approximately 60 km long, and of this, only 10 km was blacktopped way back in the year 2011.
He said the road is not motorable and has remained in a deplorable condition, rendered muddy during the rainy season.
Two proposals were made the PWD (Roads) Khliehriat NEC division for improvement of the Borkhat-Sonapur road, which Amse claimed was dishonoured by the government of Meghalaya.
He also brought to the fore the status of the Rymbai-Borkhat-Jalalpur road project by NEC, which is worth over Rs 97 crore and pending since 2011.
“The government of Meghalaya has failed to take up the pending projects in the past years,” he said.
Amse said the chief minister has been kind enough to assure that the road would be taken up on priority. “He said he would discuss the matter with the NEC which will have a meeting in the next few weeks.”
On the other hand, Amse also submitted a memorandum in regard to 13 villages in Narpuh Elaka, which have bore the brunt of erratic power supply in the past several years.
The villages are Umstain, Tongseng, Sonapyrdi, Lum Myrli, Chymplong, Kuliang, Borsora, Pyrtakuna, Umkiang, Dona Umbluh, Dona Skul, Dona Bhoi and Ratacherra
The delegation urged the state government to take corrective measures to ensure regular and uninterrupted power supply to the villages in Meghalaya, including the underdeveloped villages in East Jaintia Hills.
He has also appealed to the state government to find ways and means to improve the MeECL’s service in the villages.
