TURA, Aug 10: The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) Chief Executive Member, Benedic R Marak, has called on Union ministers in New Delhi and sought central funding for various infrastructure set-ups in the Garo Hills region.
The GHADC, which has been faced with a precarious situation due to years of financial crisis, has not been able to even pay its employees for well over two-and-a-half years. Notwithstanding the situation, the CEM has sought funding for new infrastructure that includes a brand-new council administrative building complete with staff quarters that is expected to be a multi-crore venture.
The CEM, who held meetings with three union ministers in the national capital, was accompanied by BJP MDC and Executive Member in-charge of Agriculture, Promod Koch, and his ‘chief adviser’ Akki Sangma, whose appointment has been questioned by Congress MDCs given that Sangma is neither an elected member nor someone who has previously served in any advisory group or decision-making body.
Calling on the Union Law and Justice Minister, Kiren Rijiju, at his office chamber, the CEM pointed the need for funding for the construction of the main district council court and several village courts.
In another meeting with the Union Tourism Minister, G Kishan Reddy, Benedic sought funding for construction of a new council administrative building along with staff quarters given that the existing administrative building is close to 100 years old.
Other requests placed before the Centre include initiation of solid waste management systems in dozens of weekly markets across Garo Hills, reopening of Transport department of the Council which was the only transport system in Garo Hills decades ago, starting of an import and export centre with Bangladesh along the border, rainwater harvesting, improvement and expansion of tourism in Garo Hills, especially ecotourism and creation of adventure clubs. In the third meeting with Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameswar Teli, the CEM brought to the former’s notice the issues faced by the consumers from Garo Hills while procuring gas connections and refilling cylinders.
The CEM also asked Teli to consider setting up a high-end ESR hospital in Garo Hills to boost the health scenario in the rural areas of the region.
