Shillong: Rajya Sabha MP Prof. Rakesh Sinha, who has been in the limelight for adopting Meghalaya’s Kongthong village, on Tuesday said he wishes to develop the village in such a way that Bollywood would flock towards it.
Comparing Kongthong with Srinagar in Kashmir, he said he finds Kongthong “far better than Srinagar” but it requires adequate infrastructure to attract the likes of Bollywood.
“I am approaching people from Bollywood to come and visit this place for their films but my ultimate objective is to achieving it without disturbing the local culture and nature,” Sinha said.
The Rajya Sabha MP, who was in the state to visit Kongthong and take stock of the issues faced by the village, said he also met with Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
Elaborating on his meeting with the CM, Sinha said one of the issues they discussed was the road connectivity from Shillong. He said the CM immediately ordered the reconstruction of the road.
“I am also thankful that he has allotted Rs 1 crore for Kongthong tourism development. He is very serious about the development of Kongthong,” mentioned Sinha.
The MP has now proposed to adopt three more villages — Mawmang, Mawsohmad and Sder — and said a cluster of 12 villages can form one cluster and there can be a co-operative system with focus on broom industry and honey so that the locals can benefit directly.
Sinha added that he has proposed setting up of a laboratory and a museum in Kongthong and other neighbouring villages to preserve the knowledge and share information about the unique practice of whistling that is local to the area.
The MP is also pushing to develop various tourist sites in Kongthong so that it can generate some income, thereby providing job opportunities for the locals.
Also read | Meghalaya entrepreneur receives special gift from CM Sangma