East Jaintia Hills blessed with new C&RD Block

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 8, 2022

East Jaintia Hills District will be blessed with a new community & rural development block (C&RD), which will be bifurcated mostly out of the existing Wapung C&RD.

The new C&RD block christened as Lumshnong C&RD block will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on November 26, next.

This was disclosed by the leaders of Narpuh Border Area Joint Action Committee (NBA – JAC) after meeting Sangma in his office chamber on Tuesday.

The government has decided to sanction the required manpower for immediate functioning of the block office instead of the formal laying of the foundation stone, JAC chairman and Narpuh MDC Emlangky Lamare told reporters.

Thanking the MDA government for fulfilling the long pending aspiration of the Narpuh people, Emlangky said, “We have been pursuing this demand right from 2018 and today we are able to achieve it.”

JAC secretary Daiapherbha Lamare informed that it is good news for the people of Narpuh elaka and the committee had already offered to give land free of cost to the government for construction of a permanent block office.

“We have also made ready a temporary building from where the block office can function immediately,” he said.

According to him, at present there is total lack of development in Narpuh Elaka despite the area having contributed largely to the revenue generation of the state.

Over 38-40 villages will be covered under the new Lumshnong C&RD block.

“The new block will be a big blessing as before, people would have to travel 120 kilometers from Malkidor to Wapung C&RD block even for small paper work,” Daiapherbha said.

Earlier, NBAJAC had strongly opposed the move to shift the community and rural development block from Lumshnong to Wapung village in East Jaintia Hills District. The matter was also taken up with the Meghalaya High Court.

When asked, the JAC secretary said the decision taken by the then Mukul Sangma-led government was just a political tactic to fool the people.

“It was just a decision written on an A4 size paper. The people of Narpuh wanted development and had trusted the Mukul Sangma government that time but when we conducted a follow up on the notification (issued by the Congress government) we found that it was nothing but a political tactic to fool the people (ahead of elections),” he said.

He said the present MDA government had proven that setting up of the C & RD block was beyond political interest but with the objective to bring administration closer to the people.