By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Miffed with the power disruption in Garo Hills on Thursday and Friday which severely affected students preparing for their Board examinations, Opposition MLA James Sangma (NPP) sought to bring an adjournment motion in the House on Friday, which was, however, disallowed by Speaker AT Mondal saying that the rule does not permit the same.
Soon after the House assembled on Friday, the Speaker said that he had received the adjournment motion to be moved by Sangma, but since the officials of the Assembly Secretariat did not get the motion one hour in advance, the matter cannot be taken up.
Mondal also said that the Minister concerned and the officials had not got the notice in advance.
The Speaker also said that since a similar motion would be moved by Clifford Marak, the matter can be taken up later.
However, the NPP legislator said that he had arrived at 9 AM in the House hoping that the adjournment notice can be served to the Minister concerned.
“I understand that due to the traffic snarl, the Minister concerned could not reach in time, and moreover, I did not see the officers arriving in time,” Sangma pointed out.
According to Sangma, since the matter deserves urgency in view of the ongoing Board examinations, the issue should be discussed in the House.
“It is right on our part to raise the issue of power disruption in Garo Hills in the House since it is concerning the future of the students in the State,” he added.
Supporting Sangma, Clifford Marak (GNC) said that the matter was very serious and should not be taken lightly only because Khasi and Jaintia Hills were unaffected.
“The students are crying for power and all the 60 legislators in the House are responsible for power break down as all will be blamed by the people for the mess. Moreover, there are students writing examinations in the constituency of the Speaker also,” Marak added.
Despite all the arguments, the Speaker rejected the adjournment motion.
NGOs picket Tura MeECL office
Members of several student and social organizations led by the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) refused to allow the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) office to function on Friday by holding a picketing of the office complex at Tura in anger against the sudden disruption of power supply to Garo Hills throughout Thursday night and Friday.
Power that was being supplied from Shillong to Garo Hills was suddenly cut off at around 7:30 PM on Thursday and MeECL officials were unable to pinpoint the cause of the shutdown.
As a result hundreds of students from Garo Hills, who are appearing in the ongoing SSLC and HSSLC examinations, were left in total darkness and unable to go through their studies despite having one of the examinations on Friday morning. Angered over repeated disruptions in power supply, the NGOs decided to raise their voice against the government’s lack of concern on the burning problem that has plagued Garo Hills for more than two decades.
On Friday several posters also came out criticizing the new Power Minister Clement Marak for failing to tackle the issue. Some of the posters termed the minister as ‘shameless’ for failing to look into the problems of Garo Hills from where he has been elected after a gap of five long years following his defeat in the 2008 polls.
Power was restored in Garo Hills only at 4 PM on Friday after the second paper of the SSLC examinations had already concluded at 1 PM.