TURA, Jan 20: Adokgre village in North Garo Hills will pass off as any other village in Garo Hills but for its association with the land’s most well-known political stalwarts, Purno Agitok Sangma. The man, whose political career made him synonymous with the dust and grind of politics both in the state and the Centre, held this place close to his heart as Adokgre would inevitably be the place from where the indomitable PA Sangma would kick-start every successful parliamentary election rally.
Taking a cue from his father’s success mantra, perhaps, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma would go on to follow in late PA Sangma’s footprints by holding his very own political thrust with national politics through the very same route. It never failed them.
Today, it was a nostalgic son who recalled both his father and the magic of Adokgre, fondly named Chenanggre, meaning ‘land of victory’ in Garo by the late politician for scripting his tale of victory.
It was an emotional Conrad Sangma who said this and much more as he laid the foundation stone for the first-ever stadium at Adokgre village named ‘Chenanggre’ to ‘fulfil the dreams of both PA Sangma and the people of Adokgre’.
Adokgre village in Kharkutta Constituency lies on the fringes of Assam’s Dhupdhara and Rangjuli towns, and was adopted by the former Tura MP all through his political career.
The stadium is to come up at a cost of Rs 6.24 crore and expected to be completed by December 2022.
“This stadium will encourage the sport talents of Garo Hills. Adokgre has always held a special significance to my late father PA Sangma for whom this place was always the launch of his political battles. This was named Chenanggre because of his victories,” said Conrad while addressing a large gathering who came to witness the foundation stone-laying ceremony in the village.
The chief minister also said that Chenanggre Stadium would be one of the biggest stadiums in the Garo Hills region.
Bemoaning the dearth of sporting infrastructure in North Garo Hills, he said the construction of this stadium will provide a platform for the youths to partake in sporting activities, particularly football.
The chief minister also told the gathering that it has been the endeavour of the MDA Government to remain committed to the people and their welfare, and a systematic approach has been adopted to ensure development in different sectors.
“We are investing for the future of our state with intervention that would benefit the youth and the overall education scenario,” Conrad added.
Kharkutta MLA, Rupert Momin, and Bajengdoba MLA, Pongseng Marak, also attended the function and spoke at the gathering.
New school building of Adokgre inaugurated
Conrad, during the same event, also inaugurated the new building of the Adokgre Secondary School, which has been funded by the Asian Development Bank’s Supporting Human Capital Development.
Inaugurating the school building, the chief minister said that the government has been working with utmost priority to enhance the educational infrastructure across the state. He also said that the government is giving priority to upscale school infrastructure in lower and upper primary schools.
“There are many government schools which have remained neglected for years. We have decided that in the next few years, we will invest to upscale the school infrastructure. There are schools without roofs, without doors, without windows. If we have to prioritise our education, we have to overhaul our education infrastructure. We have prepared a roadmap and have devised a strategy to achieve our targets,” he said, while adding that in the next three years, close to 800 government schools will be renovated and those which had remained neglected, will be given due attention.
Base laid for new stadium at Dalu
The second stadium to be constructed in Garo Hills is to be in the border town of Dalu in West Garo Hills, for which the chief minister flew down from Adokgre on the same day.
Laying the foundation stone at Dalu in the presence of local MLA Brening Sangma, the chief minister informed the gathering that the stadium would be constructed at a cost of Rs 3.22 crore, and will consist of a football turf of international standard, a seating gallery, community meeting room, parking space, gym, office space and other amenities.
New building of Dalu Bengali School
During the same event, Conrad also inaugurated the new building of the Dalu Bengali Secondary School, funded by Asian Development Bank’s Supporting Human Capital Development. The school is equipped with smart classrooms and labs. It was a gala event as several cultural items were also displayed during the inaugural ceremony.
The chief minister said that his government is working with utmost concern to upscale education and the interest of the youth and reiterated that education is the most important pillar for development.
Recalling the words of his father, Conrad said it is very important to invest in the youths, while adding that the government understands its importance and is working with a plan for the interest and welfare of the youth.
He added that the state government has a policy on education, and investment for development of the education sector is being done in a systematic manner.
He also informed that the government is working with different agencies to ensure that massive infrastructure development projects are taken up, particularly roads and bridges, and also mentioned that several new roads are being constructed across different parts of the state.
“MDA Government has been working tirelessly by seeking funds from different externally aided agencies, central government and world banks, and has accumulated the funds for the welfare and development of the state,” the chief minister asserted.
He expressed optimism while announcing that within the next two years, the people of the state can expect a lot of development unfolding.