Shillong, March 09: The Chief Minister Mr. Conrad K Sangma, today, laid the foundation Stone of the Mawlyndep Hospitality Complex, at Mawlyndep Village, Ri-Bhoi District, Meghalaya in the presence of Paul Lyngdoh, Minister, Tourism, Dr. W. R. Kharlukhi, Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha, Meghalaya. The project cost is about 29 crores spread over an area of approximately 10 acres.
The project is sanctioned under the New Development Bank, which is an externally aided project which is part of the BRIC Nations initiative. He said its took time in clearing out the misconceptions in regards to the State Government in taking loans from various sources especially from foreign Banks.
In this regard he said,” The Government of Meghalaya has been taking funds from International Institutions but is coming through the Government of India which has been subsidised at a rate of 72 %.” He also stated that Meghalaya is the highest beneficiary of externally aided projects amounting to almost 7500 Crores from the Central Government.
In relation to the larger impact that the State Government has in mind, he stated that approximately 4000 Crores will be invested in the tourism sector in the next 4 years creating an estimated 50,000 jobs. “Further, announcement of an additional 120 crores was sanctioned yesterday by the Prime Minister for development in East Khasi Hills and other parts of the state,” he said.
The Chief Minister also spoke of the huge potential that the state would benefit from the release of the Northeast Industrial Policy by the Government of India. On completing the project at Mawlyndep the Chief Minister said, “Work order has already been given to the contractors and expecting it to be finished in 24 months and is scheduled to be inaugurated in the year 2026.”
In his speech, Tourism Minister, Paul Lyngdoh said that tourism is a viable and sustainable means of livelihood and a revenue generation opportunity which has stood the test of time. As an example he cited Sohra which has immensely benefitted from tourism as in contrast to MCCL which is on the brink of closure.
Dr. W R Kharlukhi in his speech said that the adoption of Mawlyndep on the concept village of model village is not just about development but inclusiveness of community cooperation, participation and also in terms of a broader mindset to be able to harness a healthy tourism ecosystem here at the village.
