From Our Correspondent
TURA: The Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) has accepted the blame for the kidnapping of two Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) engineers from Rongkhon, 6 kms from Tura, and said the reason for it was because the power company had failed to provide electricity to rural areas of Garo Hills due to negligence of their top officers.
GNLA ‘political secretary’ Bikdot Nikjang Marak called up media houses on Republic Day to give reasons for the kidnapping of the two engineers.
“Our reason for the kidnapping of MeSEB (now MeECL) engineers is because there are many villages in Garo Hills where people from Below Poverty Line (BPL) have not been provided electricity. They have only connected the wires to show the work is done and this is because the officials neglected their work,” said the GNLA leader.
He blamed the department for the backwardness of Garo Hills.
“Why is it possible to provide electricity to remote and extremely hilly areas in Khasi-Jaintia Hills but the same is not possible in Garo Hills?” he questioned.
He warned that government officials from Tura would not be the only ones who will be taken into GNLA ‘custody’.
“Whatever be the community, caste or religion, any official found corrupt or neglecting development of Garo Hills will be punished by us. Our cadres are now everywhere in Garo Hills and we have the capability to reach them at any time and any place,” warned the GNLA leader, while adding, “We will see how the Government provides security to all of them?”