SHILLONG, Jan 16: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has gone on a project inauguration spree ahead of the Assembly elections in Meghalaya.
Almost every day, he is visiting some part of the state to unveil a few projects and lay the foundation stones of a few more, indicating the government is in a hurry to impress the voters ahead of the polls.
Since the dawn of 2023, Sangma has inaugurated or initiated 35 projects, hopping from one place to another across the state.
The projects inaugurated include The Courtyard by Marriott, Meghalaya’s second five-star hotel set to start its bookings by mid-February, the Ganol Hydro Water Project whose two units are likely to be functional in 20 days, and the PA Sangma Stadium in Tura, where construction is yet to be completed.
These three projects are in keeping with the “tradition” of inaugurating facilities before they are completed. A case in point is the Inter-State Bus Terminus, Shillong, which became functional several months after it was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Even the Vivanta Meghalaya, the state’s first five-star hotel was inaugurated before a part of its wall was painted. The hotel opened its door to visitors much later.
On Monday, Sangma inaugurated the Prime Hub at Diengkynthong village and the Shillong Government Engineering College in Mawlai. It was preceded by the inauguration or initiation of viewpoints, private IT companies, a university, beautification projects, a mini secretariat, a water treatment plant, government-owned vehicles, stadiums, farmers’ markets, power sub-stations, etc.
During the past couple of weeks, the Chief Minister also inspected the ongoing works of many projects that are far from being completed.
NPP’s political ally UDP has not taken kindly to the spate of inaugurations by the CM weeks ahead of the polls.
UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh took a dig at the CM by referring to one of Bob Marley’s iconic songs.
“It is Bob Marley who sang you can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time. I think I would join that chorus and sing that number,” Lyngdoh said, referring the inauguration of incomplete projects like the Ganol hydro project in Garo Hills.
