SHILLONG, June 11: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday admitted the state government needs to do more to ensure the lives of people in far-flung areas are not thrown out of gear because of rain-induced hardships.
Large swathes of rural Meghalaya have been hit hard by flash floods and landslips. Many villages have been cut off, preventing children from going to schools, and affecting local business and healthcare service delivery.
“We receive about 63 billion cubic metres of rainfall, making rivers and streams overflow. We realise many people go through a lot of challenges,” Sangma said.
Stating that the government is aware of the problems and was working on resolving them, he said: “We want to ensure (uninterrupted) connectivity in villages where people have to cross rivers.”
Projects to be taken up on mission mode include suspension bridges and crossways, he added.
“We may not be able to complete all of them in a year, but we are hopeful of delivering in five years’ time,” he said.
A minimum of 50 locations will be taken up this year, Sangma said.
On September 22, 2020, the surging waters of Tinhiang River near Mawjai village under Ranikor C&RD Block in South West Khasi Hills district had washed away at least six people, including a baby, who were trying to cross the river in a jeep.
