Mooshahary points out highs and lows of State
SHILLONG: Having served Meghalaya in the capacity of Governor for full five years, Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary on Saturday vacated Raj Bhavan and left for Guwahati along with his family.
Addressing his last press conference before his departure from Shillong on Saturday, Mooshahary expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Garo Hills even though he asserted that the State was progressing in certain sectors.
Taking a serious view of the disorder in Garo Hills, the outgoing Governor lamented that the situation in Garo Hills remained exactly the same as it was when he had assumed charge as the Governor.
“Situation sometimes shows improvement but it again becomes sensitive,” Mooshahary told reporters while expressing happiness that the situation in Khasi and Jaintia Hills was peaceful.
“The revenue collection of the State has gone up and the financial position of the State is quite strong,” Mooshahary said.
Mooshahary, however, resented the rising crimes against women and children in the State.
“The trend has to be checked by civil societies and families as police alone cannot stop it,” he said.
Mooshahary, known for his outspoken nature, had made headlines recently after he detected several anomalies in the functioning of the Chandra Mohan Jha (CMJ) University.
The Governor had even refused to give his assent to the Lokayukta Bill after he realized that there was ample scope for making the bill stronger and more effective.
When asked what advice he would give to the State Government before his departure from the State, Mooshahary said, “The primary duty of the State Government is to govern efficiently which can make it difficult for people to do wrong things and easy to do right things. The issue of unemployment must be solved and quality of governance must be increased to contain militancy in the North East.”
According to Mooshahary, the region was lagging behind other states of the country since the state governments here have failed to utilize the funds from the Central Government and the distance from mainland India creates a sense of backwardness in the minds of the people When asked about his most memorable experience as the constitutional head of the state, Mooshahary recollected the period when the State was under President’s Rule due to political rumblings. He said that his initiatives as Governor during the imposition had received tremendous response from the civil societies.
Mooshahary pointed out that he had always felt a sense of closeness with the people here because of the fact that he had lived in Shillong during his student life.
It may be recalled that Mooshahary had completed Pre-University study in Union Christian College, Umiam and then graduated from St. Anthony’s College, Shillong with Honours in Political Science.
Mooshahary had assumed charge as the 12th Governor of Meghalaya, succeeding his predecessor Shivinder Singh Sidhu, on July 1, 2008.