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Patharkhmah, Ri Bhoi, Oct 12: Marking a transformative day for Western Ri Bhoi, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday laid the foundation for the much-awaited Mini Secretariat at Patharkhmah and inaugurated three major institutions in one go.
The Chief Minister inaugurated the new Jirang C&RD Block Office, the upgraded Patharkhmah Senior Secondary School and Patharkhmah Model Degree College – the first government degree college in Ri Bhoi – at a function held at the Western Ri Bhoi Football Ground in presence of Minister Sosthenes Sohtun.
In a special gesture, India women’s national team goalkeeper and local icon Ribansi Jamu was invited to inaugurate the new Office in Jirang Block.
Addressing the gathering, Sangma said the era of block offices running from rented and dilapidated structures is over. “The Mini Secretariat will house all offices of the Patharkhmah Civil Sub-Division in one campus. A citizen can complete related work in one visit instead of travelling between offices. Administration must come closer to people,” he said.
He urged officials to match infrastructure with empathy and called upon civil societies to be partners in development.
Listing out the development push, the Chief Minister said Ri Bhoi has 184 projects of over Rs 1 crore each, with a total outlay of Rs 1,847.38 crore. Of these, 14 are complete, 109 ongoing and 61 newly initiated. Flagship works in Western Ri Bhoi include the Rs 16.58 crore steel truss bridge on Patharkhmah road, Rs 3.51 crore approach road to the Model Degree College and Rs 1.26 crore Jirang PHC. A Rs 4.50 crore Block Complex for Mawhati has also been sanctioned.
On the education front, Sangma said the 10.09-acre Model Degree College campus, established on May 25, 2022 under RUSA and affiliated to Captain Williamson Sangma State University, will be a gamechanger. With 60-seater hostels each for boys and girls and a 0.91 km approach road worth Rs 3.5 crore under construction, students from Class 12 to graduation will no longer need to migrate to Nongpoh, Shillong or Guwahati.
“It gives me happiness to see Patharkhmah change, but this is not the end – much more is to be done,” Sangma added.
