SHILLONG: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday visited Cherrapunjee (Sohra) and declared that all-out efforts would be made to restore the “ecological glory” of the place, which was once renowned as the wettest place on earth.
Standing under a huge umbrella in pouring rain, Shah reminisced that during his boyhood, he had read in geography that Cherrapunjee,54km from the Meghalaya capital in the East Khasi Hills district, received the highest rainfall in the country and expressed regret that it has lost this status over the years.
In an obvious reference to Mawsynram, he said that “another place” around 80km away is now the wettest place. The Union home minister along with chief minister Conrad K. Sangma on Sunday inaugurated the much-awaited Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme in the presence of DoNER minister G. Kishan Reddy, junior DoNER minister B.L. Verma and minister of state for science and technology, Jitendra Singh, ministers of Meghalaya and government officials.
The Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme was conceptualised by the Meghalaya government and funded by the DoNER ministry under NESIDS in 2019 at a cost of Rs 24.08 crore. The project will supply water to Sohra town and 12 other nearby habitations and is designed to cover a population of 22,943. Shah also initiated the launch of the Sohra Afforestation Project, which is a joint initiative of the director-general of Assam Rifles and the Meghalaya government. The plantations would be completed within three years and maintenance support would be provided up to 5 years. Shah underlined the importance of afforestation and tree plantation and said, “Earlier Cherrapunjee used to have rain throughout the year, but due to indiscriminate harvesting in the name of development, the situation has changed.” He added that an ambitious project to make Cherrapunjee green again has started today.
Shah said the entire area of Cherrapunjee will be be adopted by the Assam Rifles for plantation. He said as part of the Prime Minister's ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission, supported by the DoNER ministry and the Meghalaya government, under the Northeast Special Infrastructure Scheme, the Greater Sohra Water Project costing Rs 25 crore, will provide pure drinking water through taps to every household.
