Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: East Garo Hills turned 50 this week. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma arrived in Williamnagar on October 29 to anchor the Golden Jubilee celebrations with a massive infrastructure rollout. He pushed forward projects worth over Rs 57 crore to boost local connectivity and public services.
The government is dropping Rs 9.4 crore on a new multipurpose indoor sports hall. It targets local talent, serving as a training hub for upcoming state competitions. Sangma inspected the site personally while visiting local athletes. He wants this center to help athletes prepare for next year’s National Games. The project supports long-term grassroots development beyond the games.
Roads took center stage in the budget. The state spent Rs 47.60 crore to finish 24.39 km of new transit routes. This includes the widened Rongrenggre-Simsanggre-Nengkhra Road, several interlocking concrete-block roads, and the new Rongongre Bridge on the Chekwebira-Rongbing Boldak route. These upgrades aim to sharpen road safety and speed up access to essential services.
Security and housing needs also received funding. Sangma laid the foundation for the 5th Battalion of Meghalaya Police (3rd IRBn) Commandant’s Office in Samanda. This site will house crews handling counter-insurgency and disaster management. He also greenlit Rs 3.60 crore for Middle Income Group rental housing units.
Education infrastructure saw a major win. The government finished a new building for Williamnagar Government Higher Secondary School. The school opened in 2000 and became provincialized in 2009. Sangma noted the project fixes persistent space issues. In a social media post, the Chief Minister said, "The district's 50-year journey reflected the vision of bringing administration and development closer to the people." He credited local Nokmas, elders, and leaders for the district progress since its founding.
Updated at 30th October 2026 at 6:00pm
A crowd of local leaders and officials stood with the Chief Minister at the event. Attendees included Cabinet Minister and local MLA Marcuise N Marak, GHADC Chief Executive Member Dhormonath Ch Sangma, various MDCs, Deputy Commissioner RP Marak, and the district Superintendent of Police.
Sangma also shed light on the district's evolution during his address. He explained that the government eventually carved North Garo Hills out of the original East Garo Hills territory to push administration closer to remote villages.
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