SHILLONG, Aug. 9: Meghalaya has begun construction of a new state house at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai to provide accommodation and support to people from the state visiting Mumbai for healthcare, education, business and other purposes.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis jointly laid the foundation stone for the facility following the formal handover of 2,071.67 square metres of land by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).
The new facility is expected to address the limitations of the existing Meghalaya House at Vashi, which has only 12 rooms and has faced growing demand since its establishment in 2008. Patients and their attendants travelling to Mumbai for treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital, along with students, officials, entrepreneurs, sportspersons and tourists from Meghalaya, use the facility.
Sangma said securing land for the new facility in Mumbai was a significant achievement and thanked the Maharashtra government, CIDCO and local representatives for their support. He said the facility would primarily serve people from Meghalaya and support the state’s growing presence in Maharashtra.
Fadnavis said the project would further strengthen the longstanding ties between Maharashtra and Meghalaya, noting that Mumbai and Pune had become important destinations for students, artists and professionals from the Northeast.
Meghalaya Chief Secretary Shakil P Ahammed said the project resulted from sustained cooperation between the two state governments, while Commissioner and Secretary of the General Administration Department Cyril V D Diengdoh said the location would support Meghalaya’s growing engagement with Maharashtra.
The foundation stone ceremony also featured a performance by Khmih Creative Society under the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Grassroots Music Programme.
The new Meghalaya House is expected to expand accommodation capacity in the Mumbai region and provide a dedicated facility for people from the state travelling for medical treatment, education, official work, business and tourism.
