SHILLONG, July 13: Meghalaya is known for the delay in commissioning of government projects including infrastructural projects under the highly-prioritised Education department, which have been deferred inordinately, perhaps.
In the year 2012, the Meghalaya government had approved a project to build 20 residential schools in as many backward blocks of the state at an estimated cost of more than Rs 55 crore. However, nine years down the line, and not even a single one of the proposed schools has been made functional.
Nonetheless, the chairman of the State Programme Implementation and Monitoring Committee, Saleng Sangma, who is also the NCP state president, has taken note of the delay and has plans afoot to apprise Chief Minister Conrad Sangma about the matter.
Sharing his concerns, Saleng Sangma lamented that the state might lose the prestige of being known as the education hub of the North East. “We don’t seem to have proper plans in Education department,” he said, while pointing out that some of the upcoming residential schools are located inside the jungle and travelling to such locations is a difficult task.
Stating that almost all of the residential schools are under construction even after nine years since its inception, he questioned as to what will happen to the education sector if the situation remains like this. “We have to take serious note of this and I will take up the matter with the chief minister so that it can be prioritised,” Saleng said, adding that the project so far has not been completed since the government has not cleared the bills of contractors.
“There was no master plan and just because we got a land, it does not mean that we will construct the school inside the jungle with no road and footpath,” he said.
