CM, Ministers, legislators on ‘extended holiday’
SHILLONG: The three-month-old Meghalaya United Alliance – II Government is losing its sheen as the new team is yet to function in the right earnest in the absence of the Chief Minister and some Cabinet ministers from the State Capital who have resorted to self-imposed holidays and leaves.
While the Chief Minister was sworn in on March 5, the remaining 11 ministers took oath on March 12.
There is already dissatisfaction among the visitors especially from the rural areas to the Meghalaya Secretariat.
In the absence of the Chief Minister and several cabinet ministers, the State bureaucracy, which depends on the political masters, has also become helpless.
Since April 20, the Chief Minister has been camping in New Delhi only to visit Shillong for a Cabinet meeting. It is his illness which is cited as the reason for the prolonged stay in the national capital.
The extended stay of the Chief Minister in Delhi has already brought about lethargy among the ministers and officers of Meghalaya as major decisions are always taken by the Chief Minister.
The Assembly election in the State was followed by the budget session of the State Assembly after which some MLAs have also undertaken trips outside the State.
Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Minister Deborah C Marak has already taken a delegation to China to explore ways and means to develop animal husbandry and veterinary in Meghalaya.
Despite several anomalies reported on the ambitious Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme, there has been no clarification from the Government on the ways and means to correct the anomalies.
Many beneficiaries of the scheme had to spend their hard earned money to pay their hospital bills even though the upper limit of re-imbursement as per the scheme was Rs 1,60,000.
Almost all the Cabinet Ministers and several officials accompanied by the Chief Minister had gone to Delhi to fix the annual plan size. Incidentally, this was not the case with other Northeast states.
The torching of a Shillong-bound MTC bus from Tura by GNLA militants is yet to evoke any criticism from the Government.
The incidents of rape cases have also become an irritant for the Government and effective and long term steps to contain the menace are yet to be taken by the authorities.
The delay in settling the peace pact with the ANVC and the ANVC (B) has already resulted in the formation of splinter groups in Garo Hills.
Prior to the elections, the Congress-led MUA Government was in a hurry to sign the peace pact with both the factions of ANVC aimed at the ‘vote bank’, but after inking the draft peace settlement in January, four months have passed and the final word on the peace pact is yet to come from the Centre.
In the absence of regular Cabinet meetings, the Government is yet to decide on whether the CMJ University affairs should be handed over to the CBI for a thorough probe eves as the Government is yet to take any tough stand to arrest the Chancellor of CMJ University, Chandra Mohan Jha, who is still camping in Bihar according to his lawyer. After the Assembly decided to further amend the flawed Meghalaya Lokayukta Bill, there has been no visible progress on the matter.
As far as effective implementation of programmes and policies of the Government are concerned, not a single meeting of the State Planning Board was held as only the Chairman, SC Marak, has been appointed so far.
The four lane road project from Umiam to Jorabat is in limbo as also the Umroi and Baljek airports.
The Government seems to be obsessed with the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood programmes and Aquaculture Mission closing its eyes on other development initiatives.
Though a resolution was passed in the Assembly regarding the need to construct the new Assembly at an alternate site, the Government is yet to constitute the Search Committee to select a new site for the Assembly.