From Our Correspondent
NONGPOH: The tussle over allocation of stalls in the upcoming shopping complex in Nongpoh has taken a new turn with the Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Friday asking the Nongpoh Town Committee (NTC) to obliterate its decision of allotting a stall each to the Rangbah Shnong and the secretary Shnong of the villages falling under its jurisdiction.
The JAC chairperson Lambok Rymbai said that the affected Khasi shop owners, whose shops were demolished due to the four lane project, would be given topmost priority in the allotment of stalls in the complex.
Rymbai also said that all necessary steps should be taken to ensure that there is no scope of benami practices and only genuine Khasis are allocated the stalls.
“We will act as a watch dog so as to deter any such move which can go against the interest of our people,” he asserted.
The JAC chairperson informed that they will meet the Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh soon regarding the matter.
The JAC comprises of Nongpoh circle members of the KSU, RBYF and HNYF. After inspecting the shopping complex on Friday, the JAC leaders said that the construction work is 99 per cent complete and urged the State Government to accelerate the remaining work to make the complex functional at the earliest.
It may be mentioned that the construction of the 300-stall shopping complex to be constructed at a cost of Rs 17 crore commenced in 2008 and was supposed to be completed in three years time. The work for the centrally funded project was entrusted to National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd. (NBCC).