Shillong, Aug 19 (IANS) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday stressed the need for a comprehensive, integrated veterinary care system in the state, saying individual schemes alone would not be enough to strengthen animal husbandry, create rural livelihoods and bridge demand‑supply gaps.
Sangma made the remarks while laying the foundation stone for a new State Veterinary Hospital at Upper Shillong. The government said the project would involve an investment of nearly Rs 65 crore.
He said the larger purpose and goal should be to create livelihoods and minimise demand‑supply differences through systematic efforts, underlining the need for a long‑term approach to the animal husbandry sector.
The Chief Minister said the proposed state‑level hospital should function as the hub of a wider veterinary network, with district and sub‑divisional headquarters serving as its spokes.
“This hospital cannot function if we do not have the hub‑and‑spoke system strengthening infrastructure including machines, equipment, medicines and manpower at all levels,” he noted.
He called for the Veterinary Department to prepare a comprehensive five‑year roadmap covering infrastructure, workforce, services and development priorities.
The Chief Minister also urged the department to identify opportunities for entrepreneurship and private investment in the sector.
Sangma stressed that the project should be implemented in phases with clearly defined targets, timelines, and quality‑control mechanisms.
He said the aim should be to ensure that the veterinary hospital becomes one of the best hospitals and research centres in the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary sector for the entire North East.
The new facility will come up on around 161 acres of departmental land and is envisaged as Meghalaya’s apex veterinary referral institution. The government said the existing State Veterinary Hospital has been constrained by space and infrastructure limitations, with more than 25 per cent of daily cases being referrals from different parts of the state.
The proposed hospital will provide specialised veterinary treatment, advanced diagnostics, radiology and imaging, surgery, orthopaedics, inpatient care, laboratories and pharmacy services under one roof. It will also have round‑the‑clock emergency, casualty and critical‑care facilities, reducing the need to refer complicated cases outside Meghalaya.
The facility is expected to strengthen animal disease surveillance and diagnosis, support food security and improve preparedness against zoonotic diseases.
Minister Shanbor Shullai, Mylliem MLA Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, Chief Secretary Shakil Ahammad and senior officials of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department were present at the programme.
–IANS
tdr/dan