SHILLONG, July 25: People of Garo Hills voiced their grievances and concerns before Chief Minister Conrad Sangma during the CM-Connect programme held at Ampati, South West Garo Hills, on Thursday. The initiative, aimed at bringing the Chief Minister closer to the people, facilitates direct communication between the government and the public to address local issues.
During the event, the chief minister listened to the concerns of an elderly woman from Ampati, who reminded him of his promise made in 2018 to sanction funds for a waiting shed in her village of Monabari. Upon investigating, it was found that while the funds had been sanctioned, they were returned to the government in 2019 as the cheque remained uncollected.
In response, Sangma immediately sanctioned Rs 2 lakh for the construction of the waiting shed, issuing the cheque to the Riphingkona Village Organisation. The elderly woman expressed her gratitude to the CM in front of the gathered crowd.
The CM-Connect programme saw numerous villagers raising issues such as delays in construction, inadequate water supply,
shortages of water tanks, lack of road connectivity, and unmet government promises.
Addressing the audience, Conrad emphasised the importance of firsthand information from the public to identify and resolve discrepancies in government programmes. He said, “It is important that we, as a government, get firsthand information from the public. It is with this purpose that we have launched this platform to listen to the problems of our people, and discrepancies that may be there while implementing the programme, so that the government can take corrective steps to resolve and ensure effective public delivery of services.”
The programme highlighted significant concerns about road connectivity, load-shedding, and power fluctuations.
Responding to these issues, officials cited manpower shortages as a barrier to resolving certain power department concerns. Sangma reiterated the need for collaboration between the government and the public, stating, “This platform is enabling us to understand issues and take corrective measures to resolve the problems. I am extremely happy that people are coming out to speak on different problems. We are not at all angry with anyone. If we have to correct the system, we have to collaborate and work together. It is through collective actions that we can solve and do better.”
The chief minister directed officials to visit villages, understand their issues, and resolve them wherever possible. He also instructed the Deputy Commissioner of the district to track and report the resolution of the issues raised during the programme.
Concluding the event, Sangma reflected on the benefits of the CM-Connect platform in understanding and addressing the basic problems faced by the people, which, when resolved, can significantly improve governance and the overall living standards of the community. “To improve the overall development and living standards of the people, we are realizing that small interventions can make a very big difference in people’s lives. People come up with basic problems that do not require too much intervention. By streamlining the process, we will be able to improve overall governance,” he added.
The programme at Ampati, held at Student’s Field for the Betasing C&RD block, saw active participation from the public, who engaged with the chief minister for over three hours, ensuring that every concern raised was addressed and noted by the officials.
