Infrastructure Push: 46 km Road to Transform Chokpot’s Connectivity

Meghalaya’s leadership announced on Monday a Rs 136 crore road project that will carve a 46.08‑kilometre link between Chokpot market and the Siju junction of NH‑217, eventually reaching Kharukol. The scheme, championed by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, aims to revitalize a district that has long been sidelined in state‑wide development plans.

Speaking to a crowd gathered in Chokpot, the CM noted that earlier governments and legislators were unable to obtain the required permits for the Chokpot‑Kharukol stretch. Coordination with the Union Ministry of Rural Development finally unlocked the green light, prompting the chief minister to thank Union Rural Development Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan for his support.

The new road will benefit fourteen villages, covering an estimated population of 5,800, by providing a faster, safer corridor that shortens the distance between Shillong and Guwahati. It also promises enhanced access to tourist attractions across the western and southern Garo Hills.

Construction components include widening the carriageway to an intermediate‑lane classification, building nine RCC bridges, and installing culverts, drainage works and protective safety structures. A portion of the alignment has already seen groundwork commence.

Beyond easing passenger movement, the highway will facilitate the haulage of natural resources like coal and limestone as well as agricultural outputs such as ginger, turmeric and betel nut. Sangma projected that Chokpot will evolve into a strategic junction connecting the southern and western Garo Hills, and pledged continued state investment in health, education, commerce and overall economic upliftment.

The chief minister also indicated that additional road‑link projects are being considered under the second phase of the state’s connectivity drive, and he committed to personally monitoring the status of the Chokpot‑Sandoh road.