Shillong, April 14: Rajya Sabha MP Prof. Rakesh Sinha on Thursday announced that he will be setting up a virtual clinic by May end for the Kongthong Village and the adjoining area, which will have trained professionals and diagnosis will be done through a camera by a doctor and medicines will be prescribed.
Sinha, who adopted the Kongthong Village in August 2020, had also announced adoption of three more adjoining villages of Mawmang, Mawshut, Sder in September 2021 with the objectives of sustainable development, upscaling livelihoods and improving the income of people.
On Thursday, he officially announced to adopt Mawmang, Mawshut and Sder village. He said the decision was taken after the elders of these villages have approached him.
Sinha informed that these villages are presently not accessible by roads and one has to trek for two and half hours from Kongthong village to reach them.
He said he will be constructing a traditional gate at the entrance of the villages and install sanitary napkins vending machine. He has already laid the foundation stone for the entrance gate for Kongthong Village in September 2021.
Highlighting the plight of the villagers, he said that they suffer from extreme poverty, lack of educational system lack of good connectivity.
“I will go to these villages to meet the people,” the parliamentarian said even as he informed that a virtual clinic will be set up in the three villages by the end of next month.
The concerned deputy commissioner would be visiting Kongthong on April 16 with line department officers to address the issues there, Sinha said.
At the same time, he informed that efforts will be made to gradually rectify the tag line ‘Whistling Village’ before it enters the UNESCO heritage tag. He said the rectification has to be done as experts from the Tourism sector have pointed out that it is not a whistling village as there is a tune to a name and not a whistle.
Mentionably, Kongthong was one of the three entries from India for the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) ‘Best Tourism Village’ in 2021. Government of India is also trying to obtain the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status for the village.
In addition, he said the villagers have been exploited especially in the business of broom, betel leaves and honey. He said the villagers get only Rs 15 per broom, however, it is sold for over Rs. 90 per broom in Shillong, which is just 60 kms away.
He said that a cooperative society is being set up to address the problem.
