350 border villages in Meghalaya without roads

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Sept 16: There are 350 border villages of Meghalaya located along the Inter-state border and Intertiol borders that are yet to be connected by roads.

According to sources, east Garo Hills has the maximum numbers with 85 such villages, followed by Jaintia Hills with 81 and west Garo Hills with 80. The villages in the remote back ward district of South Garo Hills that are still not connected by road stands at 52.

Ri Bhoi has 19, followed by East Khasi Hills with 18 and West Khasi Hills district with 15.

However, there are 111 proposals made by the state government to construct the roads under the Pradhar Mantri Gram Sadak Yoj (PMGSY). Even as the state government is learnt to have made the proposal for the connection of roads under the said scheme, the number of roads that were constructed under the centrally sponsored scheme stands at 81 in the past five years.

The maximum benefit has gone to East Khasi Hills with 28 numbers followed by Ri Bhoi district with 16, West Khasi Hills 13 and West Garo Hills with 12 such roads. East Garo Hills received 7 numbers of roads under the PMGSY while Jaintia Hills and South Garo Hills recorded 3 and 2 such roads that have been completed. However, the number of roads constructed on the basis of the centrally sponsored funds does not reflect the achievements of the Government. Sources said there are many roads that were sanctioned under phase 6th and 7th have not been completed while the other states have already touched the 10th and 11th phase.