Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
The failure of the state government to announce the creation of the Sohra district on January 5 has left the District Demand Forum disappointed.
Atiar Syiemlieh, chairman of the Sohra District Demand Forum, said that the forum was not concerned about Mawsynram and Pynursla being added to the South East district.
“We have never discussed or consulted with the stakeholders of these two areas. We are firm in the belief that Sohra district should consist of Sohra and Shella only,” Syiemlieh told reporters.
Asked if the government was trying to delay the demand for creation of the Sohra district, he said that there must be something for Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma not announcing the new district.
On the chief minister’s statement that the government was examining the inclusion of Mawsynram and Pynursla in the proposed district which will be called the South East district, Syiemlieh said that the district demand forum had made it clear during the last meeting with the government on November 26, 2022, their call was to upgrade Sohra civil subdivision into a district.
The Sohra civil subdivision consists of Sohra and Shella constituencies.
When asked if he was satisfied with the assurance of the chief minister that Sohra will be the headquarters of the South East district which will be created and done in a time-bound manner, Syiemlieh reminded that on November 26 last year the forum had rejected the inclusion of Pynursla.
“Prestone Tynsong during that meeting had also said that he does not want Pynursla to be included in the Sohra district,” the chairman of the forum said.
Syiemlieh pointed out that even the people from Pynursla also do not want that the area be included under Sohra district.
He also said that the inclusion of Mawsynram in the district was never discussed earlier.
“Therefore our demand remains for inclusion of Sohra and Shella in the new district remains,” he added.
He said when the chief minister and deputy chief minister met the members of the forum on Thursday it was not clear why the new district was not announced.
Syiemlieh said that demand for the new district was justified since Sohra and Shella cover an area of 234 sq.km and also as per the 2011 census the population of the subdivision was 67,609.
“We understand that every 10 years there is an increase of 30 per cent in the population. By now there must be over a lakh people in the proposed new district,” he said.
Syiemlieh said that the creation of the new district should happen before the 2023 Assembly election.