Tura, Jan 12: In a historic moment for the Garo Hills region, Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan inaugurated the second Raj Bhavan of the state in Tura on Friday. The Governor inaugurated the Raj Bhavan virtually.
Meghalaya has the main British-era Raj Bhavan in Shillong city. With the new Raj Bhavan, Meghalaya joins the ranks of only a handful of states with multiple Raj Bhavans.
Amont the list of dignitaries present on the occasion was Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Meghalaya Speaker Thomas A Sangma, Tura MP Agatha Sangma, PHE Minister Marcuise N. Marak, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Jagdish Chelani, CM Conrad Sangma’s mother among host of other high-profile personalities and officials.
While Governor Phagu Chauhan said that the completion of the Raj Bhavan Tura is a testament of Government’s commitment to accelerate development, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma added that it shows the oneness and unity of the people of the state.
Governor Chauhan also termed the Garo Hills as a land of brave warriors and mentioned about Pa Togan Sangma. He also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Government of India’s concerted effort to push growth and development in the region.
The Raj Bhawan complex, located in the Danakgre area of the Tura town, is built at cost of Rs.24.1 crores and covers an area of 28.45 acres.
“I am happy today that we are inaugurating this and the most satisfying part of the inauguration of this project is that within a few days from now our Honourable President of India, Droupadi Murmu, will be coming and staying here in this Governor’s House. And for the first time in the history of our state that the President of India will be visiting Tura. This next one week is going to be a great blessing for our state and particularly Tura and Garo Hills,” CM Sangma said.
He also termed January 12th as a red letter day for sports as a brand new athletics stadium is being inaugurated in honour of the great Garo freedom fighter Pa Togan Nengminja.
Envisioned as “Assam type” building, Tura’s Raj Bhavan was initially conceptualised in 2009 at a cost of Rs. 5.48 crores with an aim to be completed within 3 years. The main building was later redesigned as an earthquake-resistant RCC structure and a spacious banquet hall was added. However, in 2016, unforeseen circumstances necessitated revisions of costs and timelines, leading to delay.
The project was revived by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma in 2021. Two new works orders expanding the scope of the project were issued with a cost of Rs. 10.98 crores and Rs.7.69 crores. Post this intervention and with constant monitoring, the project was completed in a span of just 3 years. With its grand inauguration, the project is set to become a focal point for official events and ceremonies in the region.
Currently, besides Meghalaya, 7 other states/Union Territories have more than one Raj Bhavan – Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.
Increasing administrative infrastructure
Besides the inauguration of the Raj Bhavan in Tura, the Chief Minister also emphasised that the government is focused on strengthening administrative infrastructure in all regions of the State.
In Shillong, the plan to move the Secretariat and other government offices to the New Shillong City at Mawdiangdiang is being finalised. An iconic Secretariat Building, residential complexes for the employees and other infrastructure will be built. In Tura, an Integrated Administrative Complex to bring together all the departments of government and DC Administration is also being conceptualised. Integrated Administrative complex at Jowai has been already been initiated at a cost of Rs 19.83 crores. Improvement of the DC and Block establishments at all the districts and blocks is also underway.
In addition to these, the Government is planning to construct over 700 CM Citizen Service Delivery centres across the State. These centres will serve as one stop shops for all types of service delivery to the citizens. These citizen centres, along with all the new administrative infrastructure, would lead the way to improved service delivery and enhanced governance in the State.
