Ampati, Nov 25: The Estimates Committee of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on Tuesday raised serious concerns over delays in two major public projects in South West Garo Hills — the Maternity & Child Hospital (MCH) at Mahendraganj and the Greater Ampati Water Supply Project.
Led by Committee chairman and Nongpoh MLA Mayralborn Syiem, the team inspected both sites and reviewed progress, bottlenecks and implementation challenges. The delegation included MLAs Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar, Miani D. Shira, Remington G. Momin, Damanbait Lamare and Arbinstone B. Marak, accompanied by officials of the Assembly Secretariat and South West Garo Hills DC Hema Nayak.
At Mahendraganj, Director of Health Services (MCH&FW) Dr. Neela E. Kharsanoh briefed the Committee on the hospital’s status. Work began in November 2022 and has reached 78% physical progress, with an expenditure of Rs 10.98 crore. However, land-related issues have significantly slowed the project.
Although slated for completion by March 2026, essential components — including water supply, electricity connections and human resource planning — remain incomplete.
The Committee expressed concern that the project is falling behind similar MCH facilities in other districts. It urged the Health Department to push for parallel progress on infrastructure and staffing, and to coordinate closely with departments such as PHE and MePDCL to resolve pending issues. Members also sought all related documents for continued monitoring.
Earlier, the Committee inspected the Greater Ampati Water Supply Project at Arenggre under Betasing C&RD Block. PHE officials, including E.E. S.P. Marak and SDO L.A. Sangma, outlined recurring challenges — from water source identification and land disputes to resistance from different groups at various stages.
Funded under SPA, the project has nonetheless achieved 89% physical progress. Once completed, it is expected to supply drinking water to more than 7,500 households across 74 villages in Ampati and Betasing.
Committee members assured the Nokma and local residents that their visit aims to fast-track long-delayed public services and address the community’s long-pending needs.
Also Read: Meghalaya begins recall of ORS-branded beverages over mislabeling concerns
Also Watch
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on-
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub
