By Lamphrang Nongspung
SHILLONG: The damaged water pipes at the reservoir at Umjasai stream in the forests of Malki area here has turned into a hub of political interests these days.
The destruction of the water pipes caused by landslides triggered by heavy rains suddenly got the attention of all-important people in the Cabinet.
Leading from the front is Municipal Administration Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, who had visited the site on Monday.
After her visit, Ampareen immediately convened a joint meeting of the Municipal Administration and PHE departments in presence of the PHE Minister Shitlang Pale, to assess the situation, on Tuesday.
After the joint meeting, the Municipal Affairs department declared that the repair work would be completed within 15 days.
The local MLA Bindo M Lanong, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, though could not be ahead of Ampareen, made it to the site on Wednesday.
Lanong was accompanied by senior PHE officials during the “inspection”.
The Deputy Chief Minister, said the work would be completed within three weeks, a slightly different version compared to Ampareen’s 15-day deadline.
After Lanong and Ampareen, the PHE Minister did not want to be left behind.
Pale went to the site on Thursday, showing his responsibility as the PHE Minister to assess the damage caused to the reservoir.
Observers feel the three high-profile visits to “assess the damage” of the reservoir at Umjasai had many more than meets the eye.
The reason of the “undue attention” from the Cabinet ministers is that the two Cabinet ministers (Lanong and Ampareen) would have to fight it out against each other in the area in the 2013 Assembly elections.
The damage at the reservoir leading to water scarcity in many areas has thrown open a chance for both the Deputy Chief Minister and the Municipal Administration Minister to prove it to the people as to who shall be their right choice in the 2013 elections, observers say.