SHILLONG: Around 10 pressure groups including the FKJGP met Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who is also the minister in-charge of PWD (Roads), urging him to make the Shangpung PWD Division office functional.
All official works related to the Shangpung PWD Division are being run and managed from the office of PWD (Roads) North Jowai Division, Jowai.
The groups said that the PWD (Roads) North Jowai Division has no jurisdiction with areas under Shangpung as well as the interstate border as far as road matters are concerned.
While the newly-created Shangpung PWD Division covers all rural areas under Raliang and Mowkaiaw constituencies, its jurisdiction also extends to far-flung villages close to the border with Assam including Moolber, Psiar, Khatkasla, Mukroh, Saba, Barato and Saphai Looksi.
They said that proper road connectivity can be ensured to the border areas if the Shangpung division is made functional at the earliest.
The groups claimed that the people of Shangpung and others from the interstate border area in West Jaintia Hills wanted the government to shift the headquarters of PWD (Roads) North Jowai Division to Shangpung at the earliest.
The move was announced in December, 2018.
Further, the state government also notified the renaming of PWD (Roads) North Jowai Division to Shangpung PWD Division, Shangpung.
FKJGP Jaintia Hills Unit president, Tuesday Lytep, said that the groups will sit together to take necessary steps if the government sits mute on the demand.
Around three years have passed since the PWD (Roads) had set up the Shangpung PWD Division office including the staff quarters. But the facility has remained unoccupied.
The groups maintained that the inordinate delay on the government’s part has affected the people and the area.