Shillong,Oct 12: Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, today, laid the Foundation Stone for the Mini Secretariat, Patharkhmah in the presence of Minister, Secretariat Administration etc Sosthenes Sohtun, in a program held at Western Ri Bhoi Football Ground, Patharkhmah.
The new Jirang Block Office was inaugurated at Jirang by a renowned football athlete of the area Ribansi Jamu in the presence of the Chief Minister and the dignitatries, the new building of Patharkhmah Senior Secondary School and Patharkhmah Model Degree College were also inaugurated during the occasion.
The Jirang C&RD Block was created on 24 March 2001 with its headquarters at Patharkhmah, and for most families in this area the Block Office is the first and most frequent point of contact with the Government.
The foundation stone of the new Block Integrated Development Complex (BIDC) was laid on 27 October 2023 giving block officers proper working space and citizens a single place to apply for schemes, follow up on applications and meet officials. Rural roads, housing, water supply, livelihood programmes and village-level works are planned and supervised from this office and coordinate with line departments to ensure services reach the villages.
The government is investing in block offices across Ri-Bhoi. A Block Development Integrated Complex for Mawhati C&RD Block has been approved at ₹4.50 crore, so that every block in the district can work from a proper office. Of 184 projects of more than ₹1 crore each in Ri-Bhoi, with a total approved cost of ₹1,847.38 crore – 14 are complete, 109 are ongoing and 61 have been initiated.
Several of these projects serve Western Ri-Bhoi directly, including the ₹16.58 crore steel truss bridge on the Patharkhmah road, the ₹3.51 crore approach road to Patharkhmah Model Degree College and the ₹1.26 crore Jirang Primary Health Centre.
Speaking briefly during the Jirang Block inauguration, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, said, “It is satisfying to see that block offices that across the state were mostly being run from rented or dilapidated structures are now being renovated or new integrated block offices are being created,” he said.
Lauding the achievements and contributions of Ribansi Jamu to sports and especially to football he said that it was only befitting that the block office is inaugurated by her who will inspire many youth to pursue their passion. Ribansi Jamu, is a professional football player who plays as a goalkeeper for the India Women’s National Football Team.
The laying of the Foundation Stone for the Mini Secretariat at Patharkhmah reiterates the government’s commitment for a modern and responsive administration. “The Mini Secretariat whose foundation stone we lay today will bring the offices of the Patharkhmah Civil Sub-Division together on one campus, so that a citizen can complete related work in one visit instead of travelling between offices,” said the Chief Minister and further stated that modern administration depends on systems as much as on buildings.
“People should not travel for hours and hours or days for a government service and administration should come closer to the people,” said the Chief Minister however cautioned that building is just a structure but administration comes closer to the people when officers and the people who work in the blocks, sub divisions and various departments that will make a difference and urged officials to serve with kindness and empathy. He further urged the civil societies to be a part of the development process.
The Chief Minister recalling his earlier visits to Patharkhmah noted that the place has undergone certain transformative changes in terms of roads and development and expressed satisfaction to see the current changes in Patharkhmah but added,”It gives me happiness to see that we have made a bit of difference in the loves of the people but I do not say this with a sense of completion for there is still much to be done.”
Patharkhmah Model Degree College is the first government degree college in Ri-Bhoi established on 25 May 2022 under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), and the campus was formally inaugurated during the day.
Until now, many students of Western Ri-Bhoi who completed Class XII had to move to Nongpoh, Shillong or Guwahati for a degree, and many families could not afford the cost of travel, rent and food. The college stands on a 10.09-acre campus under Jirang C&RD Block, is affiliated to Captain Williamson Sangma State University and offers undergraduate courses in Arts.
The campus has separate hostels of 60 seats each for boys and girls. The Government has approved ₹3.5 crore for a 0.91-kilometre approach road to the college, including three parking areas, and this work is under way. With the senior secondary school and the degree college now side by side in Patharkhmah, a student of Western Ri-Bhoi can study from school to graduation without leaving the area.
“Colleges should not only be in Shillong, Tura or Jowai, our youth who had to travel to Nongpoh for college today have the option to study closer to home and this is a very gratifying moment,” he said. A large gathering of village organisations, women’s self help group besides students and district officials attended the events.
