Sangma lays stone for Rs 136 cr Chokpot-Kharukol road, opens 2 bridges

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday laid the foundation stone for the 46.08-km Chokpot-Kharukol road in South Garo Hills and opened two new bridges in the area, India Today NE reported.

The road is estimated to cost Rs 136 crore and is being built under the Centre's North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS).

What the road will do

According to the report, the Chokpot-Kharukol road will:

• connect 14 villages along its route
• give the area a shorter route towards Shillong and Guwahati
• make it easier for farmers and traders to reach markets
• improve access to tourist spots in the district

Last week the North Eastern Council said a large part of the Rs 26.56 crore it released to Meghalaya in October was meant for upgrading this same road, as NEInsider reported earlier on Monday.

Two bridges opened

The Chief Minister also inaugurated:

• Bridge No. 6/6 on the NH 51 (Dalwagre)-Chokpot road. This road is Chokpot's only road connection with Tura, the main town of the Garo Hills, so the bridge strengthens a lifeline for the area.
• The Gonggangre high-level bridge over the Dareng river, built at a cost of Rs 4.79 crore. It is expected to give all-weather connectivity to more than 330 households across several villages that were earlier harder to reach in the rains.

CM Connect in Chokpot

Before the inaugurations, Sangma held a CM Connect session with residents of Chokpot, where people raised local concerns and suggested development priorities. In a post on X, he said the interaction helped him understand people's needs and find ways to make their everyday lives easier, and that their feedback would guide development work in Chokpot and the rest of South Garo Hills.

The visit came on the same day the Chief Minister opened a Rs 9.26 crore farmers' market at Chokpot, aimed at about 3,000 growers in the area.

Why roads matter in South Garo Hills

South Garo Hills is one of Meghalaya's most remote districts, with hilly terrain, scattered villages and limited all-weather roads. Better links to Tura and onward to Shillong and Guwahati can cut travel time for patients and students and help farmers get perishable produce to buyers before it spoils.

No completion timeline for the Chokpot-Kharukol road was given in the report.