Friday, March 29, 2024
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41st statehood: Way to go for Meghalaya

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By Ibankyntiew Mawrie

 SHILLONG: Anticipations and expectations run high and a consensual feeling among citizens of the State on the eve of the 41st statehood day points towards the fact that a lot is left to be done to make Meghalaya a progressive state in the coming years.

Even though Meghalaya has undergone a long journey since it attained statehood in 1972, many citizens are of the view that the state hasn’t developed much in the way it was expected to. Amidst possibilities, many developments came about and many are yet to take off.

Talking to The Shillong Times, former Chief Secretary of Meghalaya SK Tiwari, while extending his good wishes to the people of the state on the 41st statehood day, also expressed his disappointment over the deteriorating environment in the state especially in Jaintia Hills.

“It is high time for the state to realize the danger of destroying the environment and I hope that they stop giving NOCs to cement plants and at the same time control unscientific mining activities in Jaintia Hills”, Tiwari said.

Meanwhile, commenting on the overall development of the state, advocate Alister Diengdoh stated that the state might have developed a bit as compared to other north eastern states like Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland but compared to other states of the country, Meghalaya is still lagging behind in many aspects.

“Talk about infrastructure, education, health and the likes, it is very sad to note that not much has been done and the state is still in a stagnant position”, he said.

Stressing on the need for interstate and inter district highways, advocate Diengdoh said taking note of the fact that road is still the only mode of transportation in the state, the road conditions should be improved especially in the rural areas.

Meanwhile, turning to rules and court of laws, the advocate stressed on the need to separate the judiciary from the executive in all the districts for trials to be conducted at a faster mode. “Handling of a case by people who have no knowledge of the law, further delays the case and there is no seriousness on the part of the government in this matter. There have been talks but the same doesn’t seem to materialize”, he rued.

Pointing out that crime against women is on the rise in the state, Diengdoh said sensitization and awareness is the order of the day. “With the elections coming up, the executive does not take up cases. How do we expect fair delivery of justice if we still have to depend on the executive?” he questioned.

Stating that like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya is still following the British style of executive-judiciary integration, the advocate said at least during the British time, the executive possessed knowledge about the laws but as it is today, cases are being handled by people who are ignorant of judicial procedures.

On a positive note, Former Chief Minister and sitting MLA of Jirang constituency JD Rymbai said in these 41 years, the state has developed in every aspect be it in education, health, infrastructure and the likes. He however, mentioned that the state hasn’t been able to compete with the other states of the country.

Meanwhile, Registrar of Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) Rev EH Kharkongor said that development is there but not quite the way it is expected. “There is much to be done, and much could be done to make Meghalaya a progressive state. And this could be achieved only with committed leadership and transparent government”, he said.

Rev Kharkongor also highlighted on the need for a mutual understanding and co-operation between the government and the traditional institutions, educational institutions and the entire stakeholders to ensure faster development of the state.

“As far as the education scenario is concerned, we are not that far behind, but there should be more room and opportunities for the promotion of vocational education and promote the inborn talents of our local youths”, he asserted.

Meanwhile, senior citizen and former inspector of schools, EN Shullai is of the view that literacy should be the order of the day. “Literacy is very important and in Meghalaya, all should be literate to enable them to know their own potentialities and not to allow others to let them go astray”, she added.

She also expressed satisfaction over the introduction of flagship programmes by the government, but however rued the way these programmes are being implemented in the state.

Throwing light on the current scenario of sports and games in the state, athlete Alginia Nongsiej said that there is a need to work towards improving the situation in all the disciplines especially when it comes to coaching and practice. “Coaching should be given one month before the tournament and not a week because this wouldn’t help the players and wouldn’t raise the standard of the players and their respective disciplines”, she said.

“I am personally disappointed over the lack of efforts put in by the directorate as far as promotion of the athletic discipline is concerned. We might get a medal or two for the state, we are still yet to make it to the list in the national platform”, she added.

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