Bindas Syiem, a woman from Ri-Bhoi district whose fast entered the fifth day today, will meet Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong tomorrow at 2:30 pm to discuss her demand.
Syiem who is a resident of Umden village has been on indefinite hunger strike at the parking lot of Additional Secretariat here since June 6 demanding for renovation of the Nongpoh-Umden-Sonapur road which is currently in a deplorable condition.
Informing this today, Syiem said that she would be accompanied by her representatives at the meeting with Tynsong.
“I will inform all of you about the outcome of the talks,” she said.
The meeting was facilitated by Nongpoh MLA Mayralborn Syiem who spoke to Tynsong today and pressed for a dialogue to end the stalemate.
Earlier today, authorities from the District Medical and Health said that doctors conducted check up on Syiem twice today at 8:30 am and at 5 pm during which she was stable.
“But unfortunately she collapsed while going to the toilet when we checked her blood pressure dropped and her pulse rate was going up and we advised her immediate hospitalisation and tried to influence her that she needs immediate care to give her IV fluids,” a doctor said.
The doctor said that even an ambulance was kept ready to take her to the hospital but she refused.
Presently, she is taking ORS and fluids orally and administering IV fluids at the venue itself can cause infections and doctors will not be able to monitor the way it is done in hospitals.
Meanwhile, Tynsong said the district administration and the Executive Engineer of the PWD have been asked to meet her and explain the status of the road.
He said the road project was conceptualised during the last tenure of the MDA but due to high amount quoted by the World Bank, the project could not be implemented.
However, he said a proposal was submitted to the centre through the North Eastern Council (NEC) for reconstruction and widening of 20 km from Nongpoh to Umden at Rs 51-52 crore.
“DPR is being prepared and within few days it will be submitted to the planning department and then we will send it to NEC and it will be forwarded to Ministry of DoNER and we will push for immediate sanction,” he said.
Tynsong said the government wants it upgrade to an intermediate lane road and that in the second phase, a road from Umden to Lum Nongrim that will connect to the National Highway in Byrnihat will be included in the phase III of PMGSY. This road would be 38-39 km at a cost of Rs 50-51 crore, he added.
Meanwhile, members of HITO Umden unit blocked the Nongpoh-Umden-Sonapur road as a mark of protest against the State government failure to act on the demand by Syiem. Commercial vehicles were not allowed to pass through the road.
They also burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Prestone Tynsong and Mayralborn Syiem.
