SHILLONG, 14 Apr: Rajya Sabha member Rakesh Sinha on Thursday said he will be adopting three more remote villages in Meghalaya for improving the livelihood of people and basic facilities.
The parliamentarian, who had adopted Kongthong village in 2019, claimed that the area is now more beautiful than Kashmir.
“I have decided to adopt Mawmang, Mawshut, and Sder after the village elders approached me,” the BJP MP told PTI here.
These villages are inaccessible by roads, and one has to trek for two and half hours from Kongthong to reach them, the MP said.
“I will go to these villages to meet the people,” the MP said, adding that a virtual clinic will be set up in these places by May end.
He said that he had taken a similar initiative in a remote village in Bihar recently.
The district deputy commissioner would be visiting Kongthong on 16 April with line department officers to address the issues there, Sinha said.
In Kongthong, under his direct supervision, 200 dustbins and a sanitary napkin vending machine were installed, and six public toilets were built.
On Wednesday, he distributed 400 honey boxes and kits among the villagers there.
The MP said he would be inviting Bollywood producers to shoot their films in the vicinity of Kongthong and on the road from Shillong to the village, with greenery and scenic views on both sides.
According to tradition, each newborn in Kongthong is assigned both a regular name and a distinct melodious tune at birth by their mother.
While their name is only used for official purposes, this tune becomes their identity to which they respond throughout their lives. Once a person dies, their tune dies with them, never to be repeated for anyone else ever.
Kongthong had also been selected as one of three Indian entries for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation ‘Best Tourism Village’ in 2021.
Nestled in the Khat-ar Shnong area on the way to Sohra in East Khasi Hills district, about 60 kms to the south of Shillong, the village is famous for its panoramic view, unique culture, and virgin beauty. (PTI)
