SHILLONG : The Meghalaya Cabinet has approved the purchase of 119 acres of land in East Garo Hills and North Garo Hills to create land banks aimed at boosting future infrastructure development across the region.
Cabinet Minister and MDA spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla informed that the government has cleared proposals to directly purchase land at Rongalgre in East Garo Hills and in the Mendipathar area of North Garo Hills.
The initiative is part of the government’s plan to establish key infrastructure such as mini secretariats, hospitals, schools, and universities, while also addressing the ongoing challenge of land availability in the state.
According to Shylla, the government is focusing on setting up mini secretariats in various districts to bring administrative services closer to the people and improve accessibility.
He highlighted that acquiring land has been a major obstacle for new development projects, as obtaining land free of cost is increasingly difficult. To overcome this, the government has decided to proactively secure land for future needs.
In East Garo Hills, the government will acquire 93.5 acres at Rongalgre through direct purchase at a cost of ₹7.07 crore. Officials noted that the same land would have cost around ₹10.35 crore under the traditional land acquisition process, making the direct purchase more cost-effective.
Similarly, in North Garo Hills, 26 acres of land in Mendipathar—located approximately 6.7 km from the Songsak-Mendi road—will be purchased for ₹3.9 crore, compared to an estimated ₹5.7 crore under standard acquisition methods.
The Minister emphasized that these land banks are being created purely for future infrastructure development, ensuring that the government is prepared to meet upcoming demands without delays.
On expanding land banks to other districts, Shylla stated that while some districts already have land reserves, they are not sufficient. He added that North Garo Hills, being a relatively new district, requires additional land to support its growth.