Nongpoh MLA, Mayralborn Syiem and MDC, Balajied Ranee have demanded that the State government create a community and rural development (C&RD) block at Umden area.
The two Congress leaders met Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and apprised him of the grievances faced by the people of Ri-Bhoi district and Nongpoh constituency in particular.
Syiem said that there is an immediate need to create a new C&RD Block at Umden. He said that Umling has been one of the oldest C&RD Blocks in Ri-Bhoi with 226 villages and approximately 15,000 households with 81,000 population.
“We have full faith that the present government will listen to our grievances, that is to bring governance closer to our people. So we need to create this new C&RD Block by the name of Umden,” Syiem said.
He said that though the government has not given any assurances for creating the new block but it has assured to look into the grievances of the people.
The Congress legislators also urged the government for a Nongpoh-Umden-Sonapur Road.
Syiem said that they have been raising this issue from the past and it has also been placed in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. It has been proposed through the second phase of the Meghalaya Integrated Transport Project (MITP) which will be funded by the World Bank.
“We apprised the chief minister that it is the need of the hour for the immediate sanction of this road. Once this road will be constructed, it will ease the problems of far-flung villages,” said Syiem.
“Around 126 villages are there, where this road will be a great help. This road, once fully functional, will protect the land of the state as this road passes through bordering areas of the state with Assam,” added Syiem.
Syiem stressed on the need to develop more infrastructures along the inter-state border areas.