By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The adjournment of the three-day Winter Session of the State Assembly due to lack of quorum on two occasions has irked several citizens of the State.
The house was adjourned first for 20 minutes on Thursday by Metbah Lyngdoh, who was in the chair. Later Assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope was again compelled to adjourn the House, this time for the day, due to lack of quorum of at least 10 per cent of the total strength of the legislators.
Giving their views, several people termed the sequence of events as a case of indifference on part of the elected representatives towards the various issues affecting the citizens.
Kerdarlang Shylla, a city resident, said, “The Opposition could not raise the issue pertaining to the loopholes in the Meghalaya Mines and Minerals Policy due to lack of quorum. This is an insult to the democratic set up of our country.”
Mincing no words another resident, Rudyson Rynthathiang observed that this is a ploy by the majority members to keep at bay the burning issues in view of the upcoming Assembly election in the State.
The incomplete sight of the Shillong bypass work and the near dysfunctional Umroi airport has always irritated Dalsang Momin who said, “I have been hearing about these two incomplete projects for a long time now and their conditions remain the same till date. Even though the Chief Minister had earlier said that the Shillong bypass will be inaugurated by Christmas, the reality is that people are still awaiting compensation.”
The public was also surprised at the fact that the LP school teacher’s recruitment scam was completely ignored during the winter session. “An opposition leader cannot raise the issue on inter-state boundary dispute with Assam and the LP school teacher’s recruitment scam due to lack of the desired percentage of members in the House. I want to know if there is any law under the Constitution to book these members who were loitering outside at the expense of taxpayers,” fumed Fairina Lakiang working in a Union Government enterprise.
For the people of Garo Hills, nothing matters most then the rise in militancy, influx, law and order problems and lack of electricity. The public was taken by surprise when the Opposition leader Conrad Sangma could not move his motion on law and order situation in the State since the House was adjourned.