Tura is getting the attention it deserves thanks to the National People’s Party-led state government, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has said.
Sangma inaugurated the Commercial Complex at Akonggre, a neighbourhood of Tura, today.
The commercial facility and parking lot is a project of the Urban Affairs Department. Also present on the occasion were chief adviser to the CM and North Tura MLA Thomas A Sangma, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Swapnil Tembe, Superintendent of Police VS Rathore, Tura Municipal Board CEO and other officials.
Addressing the gathering, the CM said that Tura, being the headquarters of Garo Hills, had been neglected for a long time in terms of infrastructural development but that his government has put impetus for the town’s development after it came to power in 2018.
According to the Chief Minister, under the Smart Town Project, the government has spent Rs 55 crore for beautification of Tura and improvement of internal roads in different localities of the town and informed that the government has sanctioned Rs 15 crore for new roads and Rs 13 crore had been spent for improvement of existing roads.
Sangma informed that the government has given priority to solving the water crisis in Tura and almost 60 to 70 per cent of the problems have been solved. Informing that Tura town is expanding rapidly, the Chief Minister also said that, in the second phase of beautification, the circular road in Tura Bazar will be taken up, for which the government will have to spend about Rs 5 to 6 crore and said that all the localities will be provided with solar street lights.
He also repeated the claim, first put out by police, that inflation of essential commodities and other consumer goods was due to extortion by unscrupulous elements. It has been alleged that Tura MDC Bernard Marak was behind this extortion. He is being investigated for other crimes at the moment and is in custody.
Today, the CM asked the trading community to cooperate with the police and district administration in this.
Talking of his vision to make Tura one of the best towns in the North East, Sangma also stressed the need to have proper solid waste management for the beautification of the town.
The Deputy Commissioner, meanwhile, informed that space is a constraint and the Tura market is congested. However, with the inauguration of a new commercial complex, the vending zone problems will now be solved and he urged vendors, traders and hawkers to follow the rules and notifications of the Tura Municipal Board.
