Rajya Sainik Board meet
SHILLONG: If all goes well, the state could soon have a Sainik School and an ecological battalion to boast of. Discussions to these effects were taken up during the 22nd Rajya Sainik Board meeting held here on Thursday. Among other agenda taken up for discussion was the establishment of a Sainik rest house.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Col Gautam Kumar Rai said that Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who chaired the meeting, has asked the Finance department to ensure the project of Sainik rest house is approved for the budget estimated by the PWD (Building).
The budget estimate of Rs 4.87 crore for Sainik rest house, Shillong, has been prepared by the PWD. Canteen Store Department (CSD) facilities and amenities for veterans including Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) facilities are under active consideration by the state government.
He said that the fund for raising ecological battalion will work out to Rs 32 crore for one battalion for a period of five years.
Col. Gautam Kumar Rai spoke about the Zila Sainik Welfare Office (ZSWO), which has been long-pending in Tura, which will look after five districts of Garo Hills.
“The only problem is the employment of the staff in the ZSWO was not passing the Service Rules of the Rajya Sainik Board which the CM has again directed that the approval should be done at the earliest”, he said.
He added that the Sainik Board is still going strong for raising one ecological battalion territorial army who will look after the erosion aspect and forestry.
Rai also spoke about establishment of Sainik School in Jaintia Hills and the Sainik School Society has approached New Delhi with regard to whether the area will be suitable in Raliang or Shangpung.
Meanwhile, the chief minister said that the meeting has decided to examine the requests for housing board to be set up in the state.
