Newmai News Network Shillong|April 24 Focusing on Health, Education, and Livelihood apart from Road infrastructure development, a study team from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held its first meeting with Meghalaya planning department in Shillong. The nine member delegation from JICA was headed by Chiaki Kurinama, Special Advisor and Chief Consultant. During the meeting, suggestion was also given to the team to study traffic congestion and if required to have ring road and link road to ease the traffic. Shillong and adjoining areas are facing severe traffic jams everyday which makes the life of commoners miserable. “During the meeting, a suggestion was given to study traffic congestion, they have decided expert will visit in few months to study the traffic congestion and if required link Road and Ring road,” State Planning board chairperson, Lambor Malniang said. JICA is funding various interstate and Intra state road projects in all the Northeaster states. In the education sector, this study team will study the infrastructure of lower primary class rooms in rural areas and will give its proposal to the JICA for funding. “In our lower primary schools in rural areas, condition is not good as we are not been able to give proper attention, Class 1, 2 and 3 classes are held at same room,” Malniang said while stressing on the development of school infrastructure. However, the final decision of JICA on funding for various schemes in Meghalaya is likely to come by September. “All these are a bunch of smaller projects and we are here for technical assistance as well as study these projects, we will give a proposal to JICA and if necessary JICA will fund these projects,” Kurinama said. He added that the proposal should come from the state Government requesting JICA for funding of specific projects. Earlier, a loan for around Rs 4,000 crore has been pledged by JICA for two major highways projects in Mizoram and Meghalaya. These two projects will be implemented by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), an entity set up by the government to execute works in hill and Border States. The first project in Mizoram is to improve 380km of NH-54 between Aizawl and Tuipang. The second project is improvement of 40km of NH-51 between Tura and Dalu in Meghalaya.
