Roads, healthcare, schooling, poor nutrition and the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) dominated the matters raised at a CM Connect programme in Laskein block in West Jaintia Hills on August 8.
A young mother broke down in tears while narrating the problems faced by poor road conditions in her village of Umsaliat. The mother said that the road has been in a dismal state since her childhood.
“As a child, I have seen that the road from my village to Iooksi has remained incomplete. Every election contesting candidates would promise that if they are elected the road would be completed. However, it has remained a failed promise for the last 20 years,” she said.
Local MLA and cabinet minister Comingone Ymbon responded, saying that the promise is being fulfilled as the road has been sanctioned and the construction will begin soon. Umsaliat to Iooksi is around 2.5km.
Close to 40 people from different walks of life raised their concerns, from local leaders, village headmen and the general public, who took the opportunity to speak directly to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and sought his response on different issues. Many of them were seen venting their anger against the slow progress of work, poor implementation and delay in disbursement of schemes.
The CM heard the concerns, responded and clarified doubts while assuring that all concerns raised will be resolved.
The major issues were poor road connectivity, lack of educational infrastructure in villages, poor healthcare facilities, quality of supplementary nutrition for children, problems related to implementation of JJM, etc.
Sangma said that school infrastructure across Meghalaya is being upgraded and Laskein’s issues will be taken up by the government. On health infrastructure upgrades, the CM informed that the government is upgrading primary health centres (PHCs) to CHCs.
So far, wherever a CM Connect programme has gone he has heard cries against poor roads.
“Around 1,600 villages in Meghalaya are not connected. These roads cannot be funded by the Centre under national highway, PMGSY or state schemes as they do not fit the criteria. Our government has launched the Chief Minister’s Rural Road Connectivity Scheme to ensure that such roads which do not fit in any of the schemes could be taken up. We have identified many such roads and are compiling new roads from rural areas to fit in these schemes,” he added.
