All 56 C&RD Blocks in Meghalaya are being upgraded with new infrastructure, CM says
Gambegre, Oct 22: Residents of Gambegre will soon be able to access a range of public services, from caste certificates to EPIC cards, under a single roof, with Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday inaugurating the Rs 3 crore Integrated Block Development Complex at Gambegre. MLA Mehtab Chandee A. Sangma was present.
Aking Nokma of Gambegre, Chekme Ch Marak, joined the dignitaries in cutting the ribbon of the block office. The Chief Minister felicitated her for generously donating the land on which the complex has been built. During his visit, he also inaugurated the newly constructed digital library and the newly opened SBI ATM in Gambegre.
Speaking at the programme, Sangma said that for the first time in the state’s history, all 56 C&RD Blocks are being upgraded with new infrastructure. Most government schemes are disbursed through block offices, he said, making proper facilities essential. The new buildings are being inaugurated in phases.
“During my visit to different parts of the State, I witnessed poor infrastructure in block offices, which led to conceptualisation of new infrastructure for block offices,” he said.
Explaining the name “Integrated” Block Development Office, he said the aim is to deliver all public services, including caste certificates and EPIC, from a single location. “We want to bring public services to the block level through use of technology,” he said.
The Chief Minister also announced that a CM Connect Centre will soon be opened in the Gambegre complex, as has been done in other blocks. The centre will make it easier for people to access various schemes and services, including registering grievances.
He urged officers to work with compassion and sincerity in serving the people.
“In last two years, we have worked for Gambegre and initiated various development works. MLA Mehtab Chandee has been bringing out various concerns of Gambegre area, and we have been able to initiate development works. We have lot of work to do, but we are committed to serve,” he said.
The Gambegre complex was built at a cost of Rs 3 crore. It is one of 40 Block Integrated Development Complexes sanctioned in 2022-23. Of these, 34 have been physically completed and the remaining six are close to completion, with cumulative physical progress at 99.53 percent.
Garo Hills accounts for 17 of the 40 complexes, the largest share of any region. In West Garo Hills, complexes at Gambegre, Selsella, Rongram, Tikrikilla and Dalu are complete, while the Dadenggre complex stands at 99 percent.
The Tikrikilla complex was inaugurated on April 2, 2025, and Dalu on April 17, 2026.
Under a separate 2021-22 sanction, the Demdema Block Office in West Garo Hills was completed and inaugurated on June 3, 2025. A new complex for Batabari C&RD Block, created in 2022, has been sanctioned at Rs 4.50 crore.
MLA Mehtab Chandee A. Sangma said the government serves the public through block offices, which are the channel for implementing its projects. “Chief Minister has been very generous to take up ambitious project to upgrade all block offices across Meghalaya. Government has been very committed to serve people and intervention to upgrade rural infrastructure has been a key priority area,” she said.
The block office is the first point of contact between a rural household and the government, with schemes for rural roads, housing, sanitation, livelihoods and employment reaching villages through block administration. A permanent building allows the block administration and line departments to work from one location, letting citizens complete their work in a single visit and enabling programme implementation to be coordinated from one office.
