Nongrim Hills today became Meghalaya’s first digitalized dorbar shnong with the launch of its website, e-Dorbar file, and a mobile app.
The e-file will have names of all the residents of the locality in the house number wise while the mobile app will help residents of the locality to follow up all the activities of the Dorbar that would include announcements, information, and directory of the official of the Dorbar Shnong and others.
Developed by Alienlief Studio LLP, its spokesperson Ethan Lyngwa said that the co-ware (software) was developed with an aim to empower dorbars to store all details of house owners, tenants and as such, such information will be available with the functionaries of the dorbar at the click of a button.
He said it is 100 per cent secured in terms of privacy and independence since only selected officials will have access to the database.
MLA of Nongthymmai Charles H Pyngrope who inaugurated the website said this would serve as a means of employment for youth. “Online marketing and selling have become so popular and generate employment for the youths who can deliver and market it using the website,” he said.
Pyngrope rue that many youths from the Nongthymmai area lost their livelihood after the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) closed down the food delivery company ‘Swiggy’ for operating without obtaining a trade license from the council.
He stated that whenever a decision is taken it should be rational and see that it does not affect the livelihood of others.
“The initiative taken by the Dorbar Shnong Nongrim Hills will have a cascading effect that will uplift our youth,” he added.
East Jaiñtia Hills Deputy Commissioner E Kharmalki said termed Nongrim Hills a “smart locality.”
Stating that this small step taken by the dorbar will be a giant leap for other dorbar shnongs, he said, “These kinds of apps and websites will ease the living of the residence and time will come that even building permission, etc will be added to such apps.”
“We can also expand to the control command center that will detect all the wrong parking, burglary, etc through the CCTV, GPS, etc that will connect directly to the CCC,” he added.
East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Isawanda Laloo lauded the dorbar shnong for taking the grassroots governance to a new level.
“Nongrim Hills has always been a progressive dorbar that has introduced many new initiatives from time to time and now it has been able to digitize it and brought the governance to the doorstep and ease the residence of the locality,” she said.
Stating that the district administration has the District e-Governance society where all services like EPIC including PRC, etc can be applied online she said, “I think the dorbar shnong that are our grassroot institutions have also brought about the grassroot e-Governance that is inspiring.”
Earlier the Rangbah Shnong of Nongrim Hills Bantylli Lang Narry said that the dorbar is fortunate to be able to launch the app amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have a desire to propagate and air about this to other states and outside too that there are traditional institutions that work hand in hand with the government and the district council and the public that serves as a ladder with the government and the public,” he said.
“We want to show the world that if we work from the grassroots level there will be no hardship at all,” he said.
