Chokpot, Nov 9: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday inaugurated a series of development projects in Chokpot, including a new Block Office, Farmers Market, PRIME Hub and two bridges. He also assured residents of additional manpower for the local hospital.
The inaugurations were part of a development programme that also included a CM Connect session.
The chief minister inaugurated the Integrated Block Office Complex of Chokpot Community and Rural Development (C&RD) Block, built at a cost of ₹2.77 crore.
Recalling its history, he said the foundation stone of the block was laid on June 5, 1965, by the then Government of Assam.
Chokpot is among the oldest and largest C&RD blocks in South Garo Hills. Its population has grown from 40,478 in the 2011 Census to an estimated 55,000, an increase of about 36 per cent.
Sangma said that after forming the government in 2018, one of his first decisions was to provide new buildings to every C&RD block. Accordingly, 56 new block buildings were sanctioned across Meghalaya to improve administration, departmental coordination and public service delivery.
He also inaugurated the Chokpot Farmers Market, built at ₹9.26 crore under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Completed on November 6, 2026, the facility is designed to benefit more than 3,000 farmers.
The G+2 RCC complex has a plinth area of 9,474 square feet and 60 commercial stalls, with 30 each on the ground and first floors. It also has a 9,276-square-foot conference and multipurpose hall with a seating capacity of 700.
Farmers will be able to sell vegetables, fruits, ginger, turmeric, black pepper and other organic produce. The market will be linked with the Meghalaya State Organic Mission (MSOM), Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). This will support aggregation, grading and bulk sales through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs).
A Farmers Market Committee is being constituted to oversee allotment, rent collection and maintenance. Five shops have been reserved for the A’king Nokma and clan members.
Under the revenue-sharing arrangement, 80 per cent will go to the Market Committee, 10 per cent to the Meghalaya State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB) and 10 per cent to the A’king Nokma.
Sangma said the long-pending market had finally opened to the public and would soon be handed over to the farmers’ association. He stressed that completed projects must be put to public use as they are funded by taxpayers’ money.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Chokpot Warima PRIME Hub, developed at ₹6.32 crore under the MeghaLAMP/IFAD project. It will support bamboo, cane and arecanut-based activities through common infrastructure for aggregation, processing, training and marketing. The facility is linked to 3,570 farmers involved in bamboo and arecanut value chains. A further ₹62,19,215 has been proposed to upgrade essential infrastructure not covered under the original project scope.
Sangma said employment generation remained one of Meghalaya’s biggest challenges. PRIME Hubs will provide training in business development, marketing and enterprise management, followed by possible government support for proposals involving factories and other business ventures.
He encouraged young people to explore entrepreneurship and assured them of government support.
South Garo Hills already has three other PRIME Hubs at Rongara, Baghmara and Gasuapara, besides 32 micro-processing units supported by an investment of ₹4.24 crore.
Sangma also inaugurated two major bridge projects.
The first was the double-lane RCC Bridge No. 6/6 on the NH-51 to Chokpot road at Dalwagre, completed at an additional cost of ₹3.58 crore. Located at the sixth kilometre of the 12th Mile TD Road–Chokpot road, it is on the only route connecting Chokpot with Tura. The earlier timber bridge needed frequent re-decking and had a reduced load capacity of nine tonnes.
Its replacement was first sanctioned in 2014 under Special Plan Assistance (SPA) 2013-14, as part of a ₹16.15-crore project covering six weak bridges. Work on Bridge No. 6/6 had stalled at the superstructure stage because an additional span was required. The additional 21.75-metre span, along with abutments and approaches, was sanctioned in 2023-24 for ₹3.58 crore.
The two-span RCC structure has a total length of 43.50 metres. It will serve Daluagre, Sangkinigre, Diganggre, Sandonggre, Bandaregre, Raja Rongat, Warima Chokela, Dobogre and Chokpotgre, facilitating the movement of essential commodities, agricultural produce and minerals.
The second was the Gonggangre High-Level Bridge over the Dareng River, built at ₹4.79 crore through the convergence of MGNREGA and the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority’s Viability Gap Funding. Of the total, ₹3.79 crore came from MGNREGA and ₹1 crore from MBDA. Its foundation stone was laid on July 14, 2023.
The bridge will provide all-weather connectivity and reduce travel time for more than 330 households across Gonggangre, Danggilgre, Dagalgre, Asimdikgre, Tebilgre and Kemrangre. It is expected to improve access to markets, hospitals and schools and help farmers transport their produce.
The MGNREGA component involved 127 households in Gonggangre, 39 in Danggilgre, 14 in Dagalgre, 16 in Asimdikgre, 64 in Tebilgre and 43 in Kemrangre.
Speaking about healthcare, Sangma recalled his previous visit to Chokpot Community Health Centre (CHC), where he had noticed shortages of manpower and staff quarters.
Given the area’s distance from Baghmara and the difficulties residents face in accessing further medical treatment, he assured residents that he would take steps to provide additional manpower to the hospital after returning to Shillong.
During the CM Connect programme, Sangma said residents could directly register grievances with the government by dialling 1971.
He said the platform had received more than 300 complaints in the preceding month, including 99 from Chokpot. Most concerned power supply, and the issues have been resolved.
District figures as of October 31, 2026, showed that South Garo Hills had registered 353 grievances, of which 225, or 63.7 per cent, had been closed, compared with the state average of 68.9 per cent. Chokpot recorded 99 complaints, the highest in the district. Of these, 70 had been closed, a disposal rate of 70.7 per cent, while 29 remained pending. All 37 power-related complaints registered across the district have been resolved.
Other grievances concerned roads, drinking water, education, financial assistance, MGNREGA and healthcare. Sangma said CM Connect allowed him to interact directly with residents and hear their concerns, while officials could respond and provide updates.
He recalled that the Prime Minister had asked him to make a presentation on CM Connect at a meeting of Chief Ministers and had described it as one of the best programmes that other states could follow.
The Chief Minister’s presentation highlighted that 92 projects worth ₹941.48 crore have been sanctioned in South Garo Hills. Of these, 18 have been completed, 37 are ongoing and 37 are in the pipeline.
Chokpot C&RD Block accounts for 30 projects worth ₹368.21 crore. These include 10 completed projects worth ₹71.10 crore, 15 ongoing projects worth ₹288 crore and six projects in the pipeline worth ₹54.57 crore, as listed in the district project statement. The projects cover roads and bridges, education, healthcare, tourism, agriculture and public infrastructure.
Major initiatives include the Eklavya Model Residential School at Chokpot, with an investment of ₹45.40 crore, and the proposed Chokpot Civil Sub-Division and Administration Unit (Mini Secretariat), estimated at ₹6.15 crore.
Other initiatives include investments under the Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS), Chief Minister’s Support Scheme (CMSS), Green Meghalaya, CM-Elevate and the Organic Mission.
The programme was attended by Chokpot MLA Sengchim N. Sangma, Rongara Siju MLA Rakkam A. Sangma, MDCs, former MDCs and MLAs, district administration officials, departmental representatives, SHG members, students and members of the public.
