By Patricia Mukhim
We belong to a State where every individual or group has a view on every developmental scheme proposed by the Government. On the face of it, it looks like we are living in a healthy democracy and that dissent which is the sine qua non of democracy is alive and kicking. But scratch the surface and we’ll find that much of the dissent is based on arguments that border on paranoia. The reason for opposing the much needed railhead, we are told is fear of influx. But even without the railways, we are now crying foul over the latest census reports where the population of Meghalaya has escalated by 27.82% between 2001-2011. Would the population have gone up further if we had the railways? That’s a tough one to answer. But what seems like an easy answer is that we are paying the price of having to put up with thousands of trucks passing through our front doors! The numbers are only going up. And believe me, no force on earth can stop influx. We can only try like the proverbial tsunami to devastate good ideas. That’s it! Hence the railways = influx argument is an absolute dodo.
Then we come to the much demonised Municipal Elections. Again everyone is up in arms. The Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong believes it represents me and other citizens and takes the decision on our behalf to oppose the elections on so many flimsy grounds. I respect the Garos who point to Article 243 ZC which says that Municipal Elections shall not apply to Scheduled Areas. But in para 3 of the same Article, it says, “Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, Parliament may by law extend the provisions of this Part to the Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas referred to in Clause (1) subject to such exceptions and modifications as many be specified in such law, and no such law shall be deemed to be an amendment of the Constitution for the purpose of Article 368.” A Scheduled Area is supposedly administered by the District Councils. So have any of the Councils considered that it is their bounden duty to also provide civic amenities to the entire population under its jurisdiction because we are not supposed to have municipalities?
Till date the Councils have neither opposed nor welcomed the Municipal Elections. They have not done it publicly, at least. They are also silent about their roles in civic management. A careful reading of Para 3 (f) of the Sixth Schedule which lists the Council’s mandate states thus – ‘any other matter relating to village or town administration including village or town police and public health and sanitation.’ District Councils have chosen to remain silent on this para evidently because they do not have the wherewithal for civic administration. In that case is it fair for the opponents of Municipal Election to say that we should not have elected civic bodies in Scheduled areas? We need to debate this issue before garbage enters our kitchens and our septic tanks overflow into the public drains through which our water pipes also run. Already we have obnoxious residents who release their septic tank pipes directly into the Umkhrah, Umshyrpi rivers and into municipal or locality drains. This happens in the monsoon and it’s truly toxic and criminal.
Next we see reports of villagers in Umroi who live around the airport who will not allow any airport or runway extension work by the Airports Authority of India. So much so, the much coveted Instruments Landing System (ILS) that could facilitate night time landing might now be shifted elsewhere. It is learnt that Mizoram is covetous of this device because despite the fully functioning airport at Lengpuii and a second one proposed at Kawmzawl near Lunglei it still does not have an ILS. So who loses from this avoidable imbroglio? Don’t we have an MLA (who is supposed to represent the people of Umroi) to take a considered view on this matter and sort things out with the AAI? Why is he silent? Or is he a willing conspirator? Lets not forget that Meghalaya is the only state without a full fledged airport. Mizoram with such a rough terrain has at least four flights (Kingfisher, Jet Airways, two flights daily and Indian Airlines) landing and taking off from Lengpui every day. We have just one flight from Kolkata and that too lands in the breach whenever the pilots feel like or when they have enough passengers! It’s a shame that the State which once was the hub of the North East is not connected aerially to other North Eastern States much less to other cities. And here we are trying to promote tourism! Sounds like a sick joke!
According to news reports the ‘people’ are unhappy that their village road will no longer be usable. Well, isn’t there a way out? Can’t people sit across the table, led by their elected representatives (not some fly by night leader) and discuss this issue in an intelligent, coherent manner without posturing? The story very often is that money is the trigger for all conflicts. All other things remain in the periphery. Somebody gets a bright idea that a certain land has become indispensable to a particular project and belatedly begins to instigate people to put up hurdles. What usually happens is that the instigator is paid off and people are abandoned to the elements.
My question often remains unanswered. That question is, “Why is there never any resistance, any protest to unregulated, illegal coal mining which has taken a very heavy toll on the environment? Do coal mine owners add value to our lives? Do they put aside money for corporate social responsibility? No they only pay peanuts as royalty yet they get unfettered rights over water bodies, forests and everything above the ground and under it. Why are people so afraid of the coal mafia? Why do people take on Lafarge? Why do they pick on soft targets like the Airports Authority of India? Why are cement companies based in Jaintia Hills also not made to set aside the same amount that Lafarge has, for the benefit of the local communities? Why is the State adopting double standards? Is it not high time to shred the State Industrial Policy and throw it away? This Policy has for many years given undue advantage to the industrialists/ the business mafia/ sundry companies etc who set up shop here but invest their profits elsewhere. None of these companies/industries have come under the scanner. Why?
It’s time to expose the reasons behind these covertly operating opponents of development. There are those who will trash this statement because their hearts bleed for the ‘poor’ villagers. But having seen how things proceed in this state for over three decades one must admit that behind every ‘saintly’ protest resides the ‘devil’ of personal and political opportunism. ‘People’, ‘villagers’, ‘communities’ are simply terms to camouflage personal greed. Is there anything like a homogenous Khasi tribal community today? There is the community of the wealthy, community of educated, community of traditional rulers, community of NGOs, community of rights pursuers including the RTI, community of church goers etc. All these groups pursue their excusive goals. Their agenda are mutually exclusive. So what community are we hinting at! Here are a people who are pulling at disparate issues; often working at cross purposes, seldom in tandem. And the Government is so scared at the propensity of these groups to hold it to ransom that it bows down to all their demands, some seemingly ludicrous.
And what’s with the opposition? Most of the issues raised by the opposition today seem very Garo Hills centric. Or am I developing a squint? It’s a bit of a coincidence of course that the majority of those in the opposition are from Garo Hills. But its time we rose above regions and ethnicity. What does the Leader of the Opposition, Conrad Sangma have to say about the prospect of seeing Umroi airport getting another kick on its butt to set it back by another decade? Meaningful opposition means putting the Government on the mat on issues that simultaneously enhances the alternative way. Neither elected representatives nor NGOs have the right to stall development by opposing projects without offering viable alternatives. It needs to be remembered that in a parliamentary democracy today’s opposition is often yesterday’s or tomorrow’s government.
The Opposition in Meghalaya has to play a more objective, positive role because to oppose is not just to shoot down ideas but to come up with better ones. For a Wharton educated management graduate there should be no drought of ideas, should there? Of course, it takes hard work to come up with alternatives. That’s why people just oppose and then slyly disappear from the scene. Or does the Umroi conflict have anything to do with Stanlywis Rymbai not being sworn in as minister? I am just curious! In this State anything is possible as we have seen. Who would have thought that Prestone would waylay the poor Rymbai and trip him on the journey upstairs? But like they say all’s fair in terrorism and politics.