By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The former Chief Minister SC Marak has found a solution to the ongoing demand for a Garo state in Garo Hills.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Marak said that development of infrastructure for a mini secretariat, accommodation for summer session of the Assembly and other developmental packages in Garo Hills could ensure a feeling of oneness instead of bi-furcating the State.
Marak reminded that a Governor’s House in Tura became a reality and when he initially followed up the matter with the then Prime Ministers, I K Gujral, PV Narasimha Rao and Deva Dowda, they found the proposal illogical as they insisted that the Governor’s House in Shillong was very much sufficient.
According to Marak, the demand for separate states in the country is an off shoot of Telangana.
“The demand for a separate state for Garos is not a crime or sin. But we have to assess whether it is viable or not,” Marak said.
He said that when there had been a demand for Telangana since 1954, there was already a demand for a hill state resulting in the formation of Meghalaya. “Meghalaya is a small state and we should think whether further fragmentation of the state is viable. Ultimately it is upto the Centre to decide on the matter”, the senior Congress leader said.
Encouraged by the Centre’s endorsement for Telangana state July 30, the demand for Garoland reverberated in the Garo Hills on Tuesday.
The Garo Hills State Movement Committee (GHSMC) — a conglomeration of several Garo organisations, including the Garo National Council (GNC), a regional political party – on Tuesday began their two-day sit-in protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in all the five district headquarters of Garo Hills demanding Garoland state. The sit-in protest ended on a peaceful note on Wednesday.