NONGSTOIN: Home Minister of Meghalaya , James K Sangma on his Day 2 visit to Nongstoin he carried out his inspection to various developmental projects which is under progress.
The Home Minister was accompanied by three MLAs, Macmillan Byrsat MLA of Nongstoin, Gigur Marthong MLA of Mawshynrut and Kimfa Marbaniang MLA of Rambrai Jyrngam along with DC in-charge West Khasi Hills, K.L.Nongbri, S.Kharwanlang Superintendent of Police, officials from the PHED, PWD (B) and others.
The Home Minister along with MLAs carried their inspection to the Civil Hospital, Nongstoin, Nongstoin District Jail, The Nongstoin Urban Water Supply Scheme and the Nongkhnum River’s Island.
Later talking to the reporters, Sangma said that his visit to Nongstoin was a part of the innovative programme of the MDA Government that a cabinet minister would visit each of the districts in every three months to carry out an inspection of various developmental projects .
He also said that his main purpose of visiting Nongstoin was purely to get his perspective of things in Nongstoin and to see what the status was. “We have taken a call on this matter and we are moving with the finance department which is held by the CM, whatever the funding required we will be able to justify on the basis of the ground reality.”
“We had a review meeting on Tuesday of all the various centrally- sponsored schemes and state schemes which are being implemented in the state and the ideas is to take review of all these schemes to see what is the present status to see the constraints that are being faced by the departments and to submit the report accordingly to the CM” Home Minister said.
He also briefed on his visits to the Civil Hospital, District Jail, Greater Nongstoin water Supply Schemes and Nongkhnum Island and what he could gather from the site visit was that there were issues which, if taken up in right way, could be resolved. He said there were also projects where lots of money had already been spent and for some reason or the other those were facing problems in terms of getting sanction so these were the things that would be taken up in the discussion and prepare a ground report to the CM
He also stressed on the long pending construction of Nongstoin District Jail which is an asset that lying unutilized. He has seen that anti-social elements have vandalized the District jail. “ The more we delay it the more expensive it will get for the government to complete it,” he said adding “we will taking a call on this matter and we want to ensure that we complete it for two reasons — it is an asset which is just lying unutilized and the Shillong Jail has become overcrowded.
“ It is so imperative that we get Nongstoin jail operational as soon as possible because it’s not right on the part of the government to just cramp in all the inmate in to one prison beyond its intake capacity, “ he said.