Shillong, Oct 12: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday laid the foundation stone for a Mini Secretariat at Patharkhmah in Ri-Bhoi district, in the presence of Secretariat Administration Minister Sosthenes Sohtun. The programme was held at the Western Ri-Bhoi Football Ground.
During the same event, the new Jirang Block Office was inaugurated by Ribansi Jamu, a goalkeeper for the India Women’s National Football Team who hails from the area. The new buildings of Patharkhmah Senior Secondary School and Patharkhmah Model Degree College were also inaugurated.
The Mini Secretariat will bring the offices of the Patharkhmah Civil Sub-Division together on one campus. “A citizen can complete related work in one visit instead of travelling between offices,” the Chief Minister said.
Speaking at the Jirang Block inauguration, Sangma said it was satisfying to see that block offices across the state, which were mostly run from rented or dilapidated structures, were now being renovated or replaced with new integrated offices. He said it was fitting that the building was inaugurated by Jamu, who he said would inspire many youth to pursue their passions.
The Jirang C&RD Block was created on March 24, 2001, with its headquarters at Patharkhmah. The foundation stone of its new Block Integrated Development Complex was laid on October 27, 2023. The complex gives officers proper working space and gives citizens a single place to apply for schemes, follow up on applications and meet officials.
The government is also investing in block offices elsewhere in the district. A complex for Mawhati C&RD Block has been approved at ₹4.50 crore.
Of the 184 projects costing more than ₹1 crore each in Ri-Bhoi, with a total approved cost of ₹1,847.38 crore, 14 have been completed, 109 are ongoing and 61 have been initiated. Projects serving Western Ri-Bhoi include a ₹16.58 crore steel truss bridge on the Patharkhmah road, a ₹3.51 crore approach road to the Model Degree College and the ₹1.26 crore Jirang Primary Health Centre.
Sangma said administration must come closer to the people. “People should not travel for hours and hours or days for a government service,” he said. He cautioned that buildings are only structures and that it is the officers and staff in blocks, sub-divisions and departments who make the difference. He urged officials to serve with kindness and empathy, and asked civil society organisations to be part of the development process.
Recalling his earlier visits to Patharkhmah, the Chief Minister said the area had seen transformative changes in roads and development. “I do not say this with a sense of completion, for there is still much to be done,” he said.
Patharkhmah Model Degree College, the first government degree college in Ri-Bhoi, was established on May 25, 2022, under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). It 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.
Until now, many students in 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 government has approved ₹3.5 crore for a 0.91-km approach road to the college, including three parking areas, and work is under way.
“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,” the Chief Minister said.
A large gathering of village organisations, women’s self-help groups, students and district officials attended the events.
