Meghalaya CM assures setting up of Umling entry-point within 60 days

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 3, 2020

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday announced the state government’s decision to sanction a prefab structure for the entry-point at Umling in Ri Bhoi district, that will come up within two months time.

According to the chief minister, the reason for the de-sanctioning of the earlier proposal was because the cost and the time to make it would take about a year or a year and half.

“With the interest of realizing the emergency of putting this up, especially in the COVID times, we have desanction the old one and sanctioned the new prefab structure which should come up within 60 days time. It is with the interest of actually coming up with the entry-exit points at a faster pace,” Sangma told reporters.

His statement came as a reaction to the hue and cry made against the government’s decision to de-sanction the administrative approval amounting to Rs 15,92,81,000 for construction of the entry-point at Umling as per a letter issued by the Under Secretary of the Tourism department, T Lyngdoh to the Principal AG (Audit) CASS Section, Shillong on September 29.

Alleging the government of taking a U-turn on the issue, anti-influx groups comprising of the KSU, GSU, FKJGP, HNYF, AYWO, RBYF and ADE have also demanded immediate explanation even as they warned of taking matters in their own hands.

Asked, the chief minister regretted that the entire issue had been taken in a wrong manner. “Therefore, the messaging that has gone was only part of the story but the full story is that one desanction was done because another sanction was made for the same entry-point,” he said.

Sangma further reiterated that his government is committed to address the concern related to the issue of influx .

“We are absolutely committed to implementing the entry point. Especially during these COVID times, if you look at the entire system we are following is that registration and testing is compulsory for anybody who is coming into (the state). So we are technically following that even though the entry-exit point is not ready yet but in Byrnihat we are already doing that and now the Umling gate which will come up in 60 days time, this will help us to ensure we can do this in a much better manner and government is very much committed to this,” he stated.