By Our Special Correspondent
SHILLONG, June 6: Founded 40 years ago by late PM Chyne, the Laitbah Union Higher Secondary School, located in Lawbah near Mawsynram, which is 75 kms away from Shillong, is a beacon of hope for the rural poor. From a humble beginning in 1986, the school now has close to 600 students, many of them from very poor families that cannot even pay their fees, but the school principal, CH Riwan, makes sure that no one is left behind on account of poverty. The school is a private, government-aided institution.
On June 5, the school inaugurated its brand-new building block, which includes a hall for creative activities of students. With its humble beginning in a ramshackle building with CGI sheets, the school faced major problems during the rainy season when the rain would pelt on the roof and drown out the teachers’ voices.
Two years ago the school got a concrete school building, which was funded by the Special Purpose Vehicle Society (SPVS), an offshoot of the Supreme Court-mandated Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) created to oversee the eco-restoration projects out of the funds deposited by Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Limited (LUMPL), which sources its limestone from Nongtrai for its manufacturing plant at Chhatak in Bangladesh.
Parts of the Mawsynram sub-division fall under the project area, which receives assistance from the SPV, which works through the duly registered Special Purpose Vehicle Society (SPVS).
The new building was constructed at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore and stands as an example of what benefits accrue to the local population out of the limestone mining project of Lafarge in Nongtrai. It may be reminded that the SPV was created in April 2010 as per Supreme Court directives since it was alleged by some individuals that Lafarge was mining in forested area. Despite having gotten all environmental clearances from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). As per this ruling, Lafarge was to deposit Rs 90 to the SPV for every tonne of limestone mined.
At the function to inaugurate the school hall, a parent, T Marbaniang, was asked to speak. She lauded the principal for allowing her children to continue their studies despite not being able to pay their fees. Now they have all passed out of the school.
As a token of gratitude, Marbaniang is donating part of her land adjacent to the school building to enable the school management to construct a hostel for students coming from distant villages and from near the border areas where no school exists. The SPVS is exploring possibilities of assisting in the construction of the hostel.
The SPVS is currently headed by former IAS officer PS Dkhar who, with a dedicated team, tours the length and breadth of the project areas from Nongtrai to Shella to Nongwar, Laitkynsew and parts of Mawsynram region where Lawbah falls right down to Hat Mawdon, adjacent to the Bangladesh border.
Schools within the project area have benefitted from the SPVS and have managed to get assistance for smart classrooms. Public Health Centres are assisted with equipment such as X-ray machines, etc. A number of football grounds with artificial turf have been created for the youth of the area. Women in Mustoh near Shella have been assisted to promote their unique designs on shawls, stoles and ties called the “khneng.”
Several livelihood activities in the form of nurseries for growing tomatoes unique to the area have been constructed around Laitkynsew. In Nongwar, the village authorities asked for a resort with a swimming pool, which is now employing a number of local youth. The Mawseintyllang resort is yielding income for the local dorbar to carry out their development activities.
Many livelihood activities, sports facilities, stadium and other facilities for the youth of the area have been created by the SPVS apart from also giving scholarships to deserving students to pursue their studies.
The SPV is a fine example of what responsible mining is all about and how all-round benefits accrue to the local communities.