SHILLONG, Oct 15: Chief minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Multipurpose Indoor Stadium at Lawsohtun under Mylliem constituency in the presence of local MLA Hamletson Dohling, who is also minister in-charge of C&RD Block, officials from the sports department, PHE, PWD and the residents of Lawsohtun.

Commend the efforts of Hon’ble Minister and MLA of the area, Sh. @HamDohling for the all the work he has been doing in his constituency for the benifit of the people and for the development of the area. pic.twitter.com/OXiJgZzMvI

— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) October 15, 2022

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the local MLA Hamletson Dohling has not only worked hard for the people of Mylliem constituency but has contributed immensely to the people of the state as a whole.“The laying of foundation stone for the construction of the indoor stadium at Lawsohtun has been a very long pending demand and this project has been very close to Dohling, hence, this project will be a blessing for the people of the area especially the youths,” said Sangma.

The sports facility will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 8.7 Cr, with 50:50 funding by ‘Khelo India’ and through State scheme.

Sangma said the government is hopeful that the work for the construction of the stadium will start soon in order to train the youth in various sport disciplines and will also act as a platform for the athletes to showcase their talents when it comes to sports. He added that in the last four and a half years, in spite of the challenges, a large amount of work has gone in to take the state forward and sports and youth issues have always been at the forefront for the government.

“Whether it is the sports policy, youth policy or the Meghalaya Games which had not taken place in the last 17 years, the state government till date has held twice and soon the state will host the Northeast Olympics where local youth will get the chance to showcase their talents in sports,” he expressed.

The Chief Minister further informed that the state government has been awarding financial assistance to young athletes who have brought laurels to the state, who work and practice on their own, at their own expenditure despite the lack of recognition. He added that the state government has come up with various programs and projects to support the athletes by creating infrastructure, the ecosystem so that they can thrive and practice and become major sportspersons.

“My goal is to see that in the coming days, in the coming years, we should be able to produce athletes who will be able to win medals in the National Games, in the Olympics or in the different Commonwealth Games,” he said.

Meanwhile, local MLA Hamletson Dohling said the day is a red letter day for Lawsohtun since the laying of foundation stone for the construction of the indoor stadium has been a very long pending demand of the people especially the youth of the locality. He said that the major population of Lawsohtun are mostly youth and with the coming up of indoor stadium, it will be a blessing for the people especially the youth who will get the platform to showcase their talents in various disciplines.