SHILLONG: BJP MLA Sanbor Shullai along with others on Tuesday met the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at his New Delhi residence and urged him to allow the garrison ground in Shillong to be utilised by civilian population.
During the meeting, the South Shilong MLA said that the Garrison Ground should be utilised by civilians by signing an MOU with the defence authority.
Shullai also requested the Defence Minister that Shillong municipal building bye law should be extended and made applicable to Shillong cantonment area and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
Asking the Defence Minister for early sanctioning of the funds required for PHE water tank and upgrading Cantonment school upto class 12 besides improving facilities of Goenka Hospital to a 20-bed hospital, he added Defence minister should allow Shillong Cantonment Board to construct a shopping mall and parking hub as there is a huge chunk of land lying un-utilized in the commercial area of Shillong.
The BJP MLA and members of Shillong Cantonment Area Development Committee are most likely to seek state Government’s intervention to seek utilization of Garrison Ground for civilian purposes besides extension of municipal building bye laws to Shillong Cantonment area.
The BJP MLA said that earlier the matter pertaining to the transfer of Garrison ground was requested for civilian usage but nothing concrete has ever materialized. He added that the State Government could move to the central authorities to sign a MoU with Defence authorities for utilization of ground by both civilian and defence personnel as the Defence authority has no reason to hold to the ground.
“This would be in the best interest of both the civilians and defence authorities,” Shullai said.
