Shillong, Oct 28: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today announced that all the 56 community and rural development blocks in the state would soon have permanent office complexes.
Speaking at a function to inaugurate the newly constructed Block Integrated Development Complex (BIDC) under Pynursla C&RD Block, he said funds for permanent office complexes have been sanctioned following a uniform design model.
He said that all blocks are either inaugurated, under construction, or in the process of being tendered out, and within a year or two, every block will have a new office.
The Chief Minister noted that prior to this initiative, most of the 46 block offices across Meghalaya lacked proper infrastructure, with many operating out of temporary or dilapidated structures. “You’ll be surprised to know that some block offices were functioning from just two rooms, with four to five different departments sharing the same space. So we decided that every block must have a proper office — something that had not been done for 30 or 40 years,” he said.
Highlighting the government’s wider infrastructure investments, the Chief Minister said that over Rs 150 crore has been spent on administrative buildings alone. He added that additional funding has been provided under the Police Infrastructure Renovation Fund (PIRF) to enable district Superintendents of Police to directly undertake repairs and upgrades to police stations.
He also informed that nearly Rs 500 crore has been spent on the renovation and construction of school buildings across Meghalaya, covering lower primary, upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary institutions. “We are ensuring that not just administration, but also our government schools have proper facilities. Now we are also working on improving aided and SSA schools,” he said.
The Chief Minister went on to mention that significant funds have also been sanctioned for health infrastructure, including PHCs, sub-centers, and new DC and SDO offices in areas that have lacked proper facilities for decades. “We are very clear that if we desire to give good service to the people at the grassroots level, it has to come with proper structures to serve them. And it is with that mindset and vision that this block today has materialised,” he said.
Minister of Arts and Culture Sanbor Shullai, Commisioner & Secretary Cyril VD Diengdoh, Evarinlla Warjri, SDO (Civil), Pynursla Civil Sub-Division and Peter T. Passah, Project Director, DRDA, East Khasi Hills, among others were present on the occasion.
