SHILLONG, JUL 21: The state government has begun stakeholder consultations for the proposed Shillong Drinking Water and Sewerage Board, with PHE Minister Marcuise N. Marak on Tuesday calling the first round of talks “very positive.”
The consultative meeting held on Monday was attended by officials from the PHE department, Urban Affairs, Shillong Municipal Board, and headmen from across the Shillong agglomeration.
Marak said the meeting discussed the draft Shillong Drinking Water and Sewerage Act, 2026, which the government is referring to as the “Jal Board.”
“We have already drafted the Act. We are consulting with all stakeholders and only after that we will be moving forward,” he said.
According to the minister, the rangbah shnong welcomed the proposal.
“The headmen were all very happy. They expressed very positively. We presented to them the draft, how it will work, and the administrative reforms proposed,” Marak said.
The next steps, he added, include further consultations with senior leaders, the Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister, followed by Cabinet approval and tabling in the Assembly.
