SHILLONG, Sep 15: Shillong MP Ricky AJ Syngkon announced on Sunday that he will be writing to the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) to address the urgent need for infrastructure improvements at the Land Custom Station (LCS) in Dawki, which serves as a crucial border trade point between India and Bangladesh.
During a site visit on Saturday, accompanied by Voice of the People Party (VPP) chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, party vice president Kara H Chen, and other VPP leaders, Syngkon held a meeting with officials from the Customs department and senior officers from the Border Security Force (BSF).
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Syngkon emphasised the necessity of providing high-speed internet, uninterrupted power supply, and banking facilities at the LCS to facilitate smoother trade operations. He also expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of the road leading to the LCS, calling for immediate repairs to ensure better connectivity.
“There is an urgent need to upgrade the road conditions leading to the LCS,” Syngkon stated.
Syngkon further criticised the government’s appointment of unqualified personnel to key positions, stating, “I fail to understand how the government appoints people without the necessary expertise to run an important facility handling import and export.”
During the visit, Syngkon also proposed the idea of importing fish from Bangladesh, pointing out that Meghalaya currently sources fish from Andhra Pradesh.
He suggested that with proper infrastructure, including a testing station for imported fish and cold storage facilities, the state could consider importing fish from its neighbouring country.
Additionally, Syngkon raised concerns over the large number of trucks, about 1,000 daily, transporting boulders and limestone to Bangladesh, and questioned why the state was not focusing on exporting finished products instead of raw materials. “We could benefit more by setting up stone crushers to process boulders into usable aggregates for construction,” he suggested.
The MP also visited Muktapur and expressed disappointment over the condition of the border roads, noting that they were in much worse shape compared to roads on the Bangladeshi side.
“We expect our border roads to be in the best condition. The condition is very bad from what I witnessed,” he added, urging the state government to prioritise infrastructure development in border areas.
Syngkon is set to leave for Delhi on Monday to address these pressing issues with the relevant authorities.
