By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Keeping an eye at the upcoming Assembly elections, the UDP, an ally in Mukul Sangma-led MUA government, has raked up the railway connectivity issue with the party asserting that it is against the proposed move to bring railway line to the State capital.
However, the party does not have any problem if railway line connects Byrnihat area for transshipment of goods.
Briefing media after a meeting of the UDP’s Shillong city unit here on Saturday, the general secretary of the Shillong city unit Alan Dkhar said the Railway Ministry had made necessary budgetary allocation to extend railway up to Shillong without taking the concerns of the people into consideration.
Pointing out that traffic congestion in Shillong has gone from bad to worse, Dkhar demanded that proposed move to connect Shillong with railway line should be withdrawn immediately.
“The party would welcome only goods train up to Byrnihat in Ri-Bhoi district,” he said.
Stating that the state government’s proposed move to decongest and beautify Shillong remained a distant dream, the party urged the Government to speed up the process of transfer of several stretches of land, which are being occupied by Defence authorities, to civil authorities. “This will help the government in addressing the problem of congestion in the city,” he said.
Meanwhile, the general council of the party also resolved to move the government for suitable amendment of rules relating to the public service commission, district service committee and department committees to infuse total transparency in the selection process to various posts under government undertakings, government corporate and other government posts.
“The implemented of Citizen Charter Act is still far so the right to public service act is important for the people” he said.
The meeting also resolved to support the move of well meaning NGOs to further strengthen the Lokayukta Act by effectively giving the body more teeth to enable to curb corruption in public life.