Northeast Desk, 11th June: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on June 10 urged Bindas Syiem, a resident of Umden, to call off her hunger strike, which entered its fifth day. Syiem is protesting for the construction of the Nongpoh-Umden-Sonapur road.
In a statement to reporters, Tynsong assured that the state government will seek immediate approval from the Centre for over Rs 100 crore to reconstruct and widen the 20 km stretch from Nongpoh to Umden and to construct the 39 km stretch from Umden to Lum-nongrim.
Tynsong revealed that in March, the government had submitted a proposal through the North Eastern Council (NEC) to the Ministry of DoNER to allocate funds for the reconstruction and widening of the Nongpoh-Umden road, estimated at Rs 51-52 crore. He mentioned that the detailed project report is in preparation and will be forwarded to NEC and DoNER soon.
He emphasized that he, along with the Chief Minister, will meet with the DoNER Minister and relevant officials to advocate for the project’s immediate sanction. The plan includes upgrading the Nongpoh-Umden road to an intermediate lane to accommodate the area’s traffic volume.
The second phase of the project, from Umden to Lum-nongrim, which connects to the national highway at Byrnihat, has already been included in PMGSY-III, with an estimated cost of Rs 50-51 crore. This brings the total cost of the project to over Rs 100 crore.
Tynsong appealed to Syiem to end her hunger strike, reaffirming the government’s commitment to the road project’s implementation. He invited her to a meeting to discuss the issue further, but noted that the “door is open” if she remains unsatisfied with the explanations provided.
He also mentioned that the project had been conceptualized long ago, with local leaders consistently requesting road repairs. Although it had been included in the World Bank’s priority list during the previous government’s tenure, it could not be implemented due to cost constraints.
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