Creation of three new districts
Our Bureau
Shillong/Nongstoin: West Khasi Hills based NGOs have come down heavily on the State Government’s decision to create two new districts in Garo Hills even as they reiterated the long-pending demand to upgrade Mairang Civil Sub-Division into a full-fledged district.
The KSU South West Khasi Hills on Sunday, while expressing its displeasure at the government’s decision, said, “The decision was taken in hurry without taking into account the impact and consequences that can arise from it”.
“Dr Mukul Sangma’s decision to create two districts in Garo Hills and one in Jaintia Hills is questionable as the problem could have been easily solved by creating one district each in West Khasi Hills, Garo Hills and Jaintia Hills,” KSU West Khasi Hills general secretary Kynpham Kharlyngdoh told this scribe on Sunday.
The West Khasi Hills District Congress Committee (DCC) has also slammed the State Government for overlooking West Khasi Hills despite a long pending demand for the same.
The Mairang Assembly Youth Congress (MAYC) had submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma on Monday last demanding the upgradation of Mairang into a district.
The MAYC had also claimed that the Chief Minister had assured them of sending officials to inspect whether Mairang could be upgraded into a district.
Meanwhile, the KSU, FKJGP, Western Youth Federation and the West Khasi Hills Students’ Union held an emergency meeting in Nongstoin on Saturday in connection with the state Government’s decision to create three new districts in the State.
The meeting, while condemning the decision of the MUA government led by Dr Mukul Sangma, accused the government of neglecting West Khasi Hills.
They also demanded announcement of a new district in West Khasi Hills within three days, while threatening to hold series of agitations if their demand was not met.
Meanwhile, Wallambog Syiemiong, chairman of the Hynniewtrep Socialist Revolutionary Movement, while expressing his displeasure against the government’s decision, said that Dr Mukul Sangma had betrayed the people of West Khasi Hills by ignoring their long pending demand.
He also stated that the government decision was not transparent, even as he claimed that it was an injustice done to the people of West Khasi Hills district.
The NGOs urged upon all political parties and politicians of the State not to use this issue to gain political mileage to suit their own vested political interests, but to see that the larger interests of the people of the State are safeguarded.
They also urged the people of West Khasi Hills to wake up from their slumber and take up the fight for protection of their rights.
Incidentally, while NGOs and the general population in West Khasi Hills are furious after being ignored, the people of Jaintia Hills have expressed happiness over the government’s decision to carve out a new district in Jaintia Hills.
“We appreciate the decision taken by the Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) Government under the leadership of Dr Mukul Sangma,” Jaintia Youth Federation (JYF) president P Majaw said in a statement issued here on Sunday.
Majaw, however, urged the government to speed up the process of laying the foundation stone of the new district in Jaintia Hills, fearing that the decision could be altered at any time.
“We don’t want the government to turn back on its decision,” Majaw said.
“We don’t want history to repeat itself,” the JYF president said, while mentioning that that the same had been promised during the leadership of former Chief Minister DD Lapang in 2006 but nothing had happened that time.
The JYF also mentioned that they wanted the new district to be named East Jaintia Hills District.
It may be noted that the Government has decided to upgrade the Khliehriat Civil Sub-Division into a full-fledged district.