SHILLONG, July 25: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has advocated the need to revive the lost glory of Sohra as the rainiest place on earth.
“We were taught when we were kids that the heaviest rainfall happens in Sohra. But Sohra has lost its tag to another place,” he said after launching the Green Sohra Afforestation project at Wahshari in Khliehshnong on Sunday.
Shah said the shortfall of rain in Meghalaya is a big concern. “We have taken a pledge to revive the lost glory of Sohra by planting more trees in the next 10-15 years,” he said.
According to him, 1 million trees will be planted in an area of 1,000 hectares over the next three years and the entire Sohra area would be adopted by the Assam Rifles for the purpose of the plantation.
He said traditional and long lifespan trees used for fuel and other purposes would be planted on 80% of the total area. The remaining 20% would be used for animal feed, ornamental plants and a nursery that will meet all the requirements and help reduce the felling of trees.
“This strategy facilitates multi-level farming and the forest grows 30 times faster, becoming maintenance-free after three years,” Shah said.
He observed that ecotourism will be greatly benefited by this.
The Union Home Minister further said he was hopeful that under the leadership of Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, this project will be successful and Sohra will be once again be known for its rainfall.
Shah requested all the representatives of the local governments to assist the paramilitary forces executing the plantation project.
Referring to improved techniques that can transform barren lands into a lush forest within a short span of time, he said the Meghalaya government, DoNER Minister and the North Eastern Council would collaborate for a Rs 50 crore project to regreen 100 hectares of barren land in Sohra.
The Union Home Minister underscored the role of the local administration and local self-government in the war against global warming.
He also garlanded the statue of Swami Vivekananda at Ramakrishna Mission, Sohra and participated in a prayer programme.
Shah was accompanied by DoNER Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for DoNER BL Verma, Sangma and government officials.
Sohra water supply scheme inaugurated
In another programme, Shah inaugurated the much-awaited Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme for providing drinking water to 23,000 people of Sohra and 12 surrounding villages. The DoNER Ministry had funded the project worth Rs. 24.08 crore under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme.
The 12 villages are Sderkariah, Khlieh Shnong, Maraikaphon, Pdengshnong, Nongrim, Pomsohmen, Nongsawlia, Mawkisyiem, Saitsohpen, Mawpunkyrtiang, Pynshadkhurai and Kutmadan.
In his address, Shah said that as part of the Prime Minister’s ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission, the Greater Sohra Water Project will provide pure drinking water through taps to every household.
“If the source of water is not pure then people will not be healthy. Therefore, PM Modi has set the target of providing pure drinking water to every household in Meghalaya and the country before the completion of 75 years of India’s Independence and 50 years of Meghalaya’s statehood,” he said.
He said an ambitious programme to provide drinking water to 2.8 lakh families in Meghalaya has been divided into 1,874 small projects.
