Health minister seeks report on impact of JICA project over PHC at Dawki

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 3, 2020

Health Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek has sought a report into the proposed construction of the new Dawki bridge on whether it is going to affect the primary health centre (PHC) at Dawki, along the Indo-Bangla border in West Jaintia Hills district.

“I have asked the Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) and District Medical & Health Officer (DM&HO) of West Jaintia Hills to submit a complete report on the status of the alignment for the project, whether it will go through the Dawki PHC, within ten days,” Hek, who recently conducted an inspection of the health centres in areas under the Amlarem sub-division, told reporters on Thursday.

Asked, the health minister said, “If at all the alignment for the project has to go through the PHC, we have maintained that the land will only be handed over till construction of a new building for the PHC is completed as we cannot allow the functioning of the PHC to be affected.”

If the health department has already identified a new land for the purpose, Hek however said the department has already requested the traditional headmen from the area to identify the land for the construction of the new building for the health centre.

It may be mentioned here that the Deputy Chief Minister in-charge PWD (Roads), Prestone Tynsong had recently informed the tender process for the construction of the Shillong-Dawki road project would be soon finalized.

The tenders have been floated by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) for the four packages of Rs 120 crore each.

These include the expansion of the existing road from Umshyrpi to Banuin into four-lane road and construction of a new Dawki bridge over the Umngot River. 

This also came after the Ministry of Defence had agreed to part with 12.45 acres of land from Umshyrpi to Banuin for construction of Shillong-Dawki road project. The remaining stretch of the road up to Dawki-Tamabil will be a two-lane road.

The road project is funded by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at an estimated cost of Rs 1187.5 crore. Including land acquisition the total project cost was estimated at Rs 1377.5 crore.