Bhaitbari, Nov 13: It was not the Government, not a sponsor, and not a single leader. It was the people of Rajabala who put in Rs 20 lakh from their own pockets to remember their leader.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday inaugurated the second edition of the P.A. Sangma Memorial Football Tournament at B.M. Model School Field, Bhaitbari, and called the people’s contribution a remarkable gesture.
Thanking former Minister Abdus Saleh and the people of Rajabala for the initiative, Sangma said on behalf of his mother, family and relatives, he was deeply grateful that Late Purno Agitok Sangma is still remembered with such love.
The venue itself carries history. Sangma said Saleh told him that when P.A. Sangma contested his first election in 1977, he held his first meeting at this very ground. That, the Chief Minister said, made the day even more special.
The football craze in Bhaitbari is so strong that even the school rooftop could not escape it. When Sangma asked how the rooftop got damaged, Saleh replied it was not hailstorm or wind, but people climbing up to watch football.
Sangma said the passion showed the need for a proper gallery for spectators.
He said the Government is already building over 50 artificial turfs across Meghalaya, including in hilly areas, and is constructing the country’s biggest football stadium in Shillong with a capacity of around 40,000.
Calling Abdus Saleh his uncle, Sangma said in our culture, when an uncle asks for something, it should be given at that very moment. He committed, after due process and consultation with officials and public leaders, to provide a new school building and a stadium for the area.
He said all people of Meghalaya are his own people, and he is working for equal development across the State.
He also urged people to call CM Connect helpline 1971 for any suggestion or concern, saying the calls are heard by officials and by the Chief Minister himself
