Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong inaugurated a community hall/multi-purpose facility in Pongtung village, under Pynursla constituency.
Speaking at the function, Tynsong, who is the local MLA, informed that the facility was built at a cost of Rs 1.20 crore.
The Deputy Chief Minister also said that Pongtung village, which is the gateway to two of the most important tourist spots of the state – Mawlynnong and Shnongpdeng – can also be a major destination in its own right if better facilities are provided.
“Pongtung can give other tourist sites a run for the money,” he said.
He also urged parents to educate their children so that they are prepared to enter tourism-related jobs.
Tynsong also encouraged the villagers to make local products so that tourists can buy them as souvenirs, even as he said that facilities like camping sites and parking space should be built for the benefit of tourists.
The minister also informed that the government will install 700 solar streetlights from Siatbakon to Umsyiem, Lyngkhat and Nongshken.
Former Border Area Development Director, RM Kurbah, was also present and urged the villagers to move away from broomstick cultivation, as this crop uses up an inordinate amount of water to grow. Such crops might work for one generation, but in order to think of the needs of future generations, other, more sustainable, economic activities need to be embraced, she added.
