Shillong: A Supreme Court mandate is reshaping Mawlyngbna. The Special Purpose Vehicle Society (SPVS) recently held a tree plantation drive at Seng Khasi Upper Primary School. This organization channels funds from Lafarge-Umiam Mining Private Limited into community projects. The company pays 90 rupees for every tonne of limestone extracted near Nongtrai village.
The SPV started in 2010. It features the Meghalaya Chief Secretary as chairperson. Officials from the Forest Department oversee the mission within a 50-kilometer radius of the mines. Mawlyngbna’s school now benefits from this cash. Once a noisy tin-roofed structure, it is now a two-storey RCC building with a cooking shed.
Late Maham Sing Sawian founded the school in 1968. Teacher Dansingroy Pdahkasiej confirmed it became an Upper Primary school in 1998 and an Ad-hoc institution in 2000. The village donated three acres of land for the site. Headmaster Pynshaitbor Lyngdoh Nonglait is now pushing for solar lights, fencing, and smart classrooms.
Infrastructure gains extend beyond schools. The SPVS built a cemented footbridge near Umdienkain waterfalls. Tourism is rising. Roughly 2,500 people live in 411 homes here. Headman Klining Kharnaior reports that locals now work as tour guides, adding to their traditional farming income of betel nuts, black pepper, and honey.
The project footprint is expanding. Workers have installed two artificial turf football grounds. A swimming pool is underway in Shella. The team also visited a new bamboo arboretum in Lawbah. Peter Dkhar, the retired IAS officer acting as SPVS CEO, oversees these works with an eye for efficiency.
Dkhar prioritizes speed. He noted: "I have been in the government for a long time and at a time when a project needs to be implemented, there are unnecessary delays at various levels. Now we clear projects with due diligence and, in a timely manner, implement them with the community so they are accomplished without delay."
Support reaches clinics, too. The SPVS has delivered ambulances and X-ray machines to local health centers. Farmers and women weavers also receive aid. Villagers view the Lafarge mining operations as a major blessing for the region.
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