TURA: Speaker Donkupar Roy’s promise to upgrade Sohra to a district has revived the demand for a similar status to Dadenggre.
Rupa Mrong Marak, a former president of the GSU from Dadenggre, said on Tuesday that assurance on the upgradation of Dadenggre to a district was given by none other than Roy in 2006 when he was the then deputy chief minister. He had inaugurated Dadenggre Puri Government Higher Secondary School.
“Our demand was acknowledged as genuine and the assurance that the issue would be discussed in the government was given by Dr Roy in front of all my colleagues. But today, I’m disappointed to see his statements for the upgradation of Sohra only. He might have forgotten about his assurance for Dadenggre in these 12 long years but we, the people of Dadenggre civil-sub-division, still remember it,” Marak said and added that Edmund K Sangma, the then local MLA, local MDC Purno K Sangma, and Billykid Sangma were among those present at that time.
Roy, during a recent meeting, had conveyed Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s message assuring that Sohra would be upgraded to a district in the near future.
“If the chief minister has given assurance for the upgradation of Sohra, I would like to ask him to clarify his stand on the upgradation of Dadenggre civil sub-division to a district. Dadenggre civil sub-division is the oldest in Garo Hills at present and demand for a full-fledged district with the inclusion of newly created Raksamgre civil sub-division is a long standing one,” Marak said.
The former GSU leader argued that if Sangma should have equal commitment to Khasi and Garo Hills and “equal attention… is what we need”.
Besides, Marak put forward a demand for creation of Jengjal civil sub-division in view of immense hardships faced by the people while coming to Dadenggre for official works and other purposes.
According to Marak, the move would ease the sufferings of the people and also bring them closer to the administration.