Mukul all praise for civil society group initiative
SHILLONG: Amid the bandh call given by the proscribed HNLC on the occasion of President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to the State, Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma asserted that “with active support from a vigilant public, the Government would be able to neutralise the militant outfits which work against the interest of the people of the State.”
The HNLC has called for a 36-hour bandh in the wake of the President’s visit to Meghalaya.
While presenting the vote of thanks in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on Monday on the occasion of the President’s visit Dr Sangma said that it is unfortunate that a bandh call given by an unlawful outfit has restricted people’s participation in the event.
“However, it is encouraging that some enlightened civil society groups have come out openly defying the (bandh) call and organised a public rally and a music concert welcoming the visit of the President,” he said.
Without naming the HNLC, the Chief Minister said that the particular outfit had given a similar call earlier to boycott the elections to the Legislative Assembly but the public outrightly rejected the call by turning out in record numbers as polling percentage in Khais and Jaintia Hills region was as high as high as 86 per cent.
“We witnessed a similar response from the public of Garo Hills region when another outfit had given a call for an extended bandh there some time ago and this gives us the hope that with the active support from public, we shall be able to neutralise these outfits,” Dr Sangma said.
Dr Sangma informed that Meghalaya today has a literacy ratio which is higher than the national average, sex ratio which is one of the highest in the country, the State’s road density has increased more than threefold, its socio-economic profile has improved significantly, administrative set up has been expanded substantially with a view to taking administration closer to the people and above all, it has been able to create a socio-political framework which seeks to afford equal opportunity to all sections of people to grow according to their own genius.
Despite this, Dr Sangma said that while Meghalaya has moved ahead, the rest of the country has moved ahead much faster.
“There are studies which show that the per capita income of State, and the region was higher than the national average at the time of the independence. But today we are lagging behind the national average and this can be attributed largely to the impact of partition,” he said adding that the North East is yet to fully recover from the ill-effects of partition in terms of dislocation of trade and commercial ties, disruption of access to nearby markets, break-down in connectivity.
He admitted that the fresh infrastructure to restore connectivity with the rest of the country is still not fully in place and inter-regional and intra-regional connectivity remains a major constraint even now.
“As a result, the huge potential in tourism, horticulture, floriculture etc. has remained untapped. Therefore, restoration of trade and commercial links with the neighbouring countries of the eastern region is of prime importance to Meghalaya,” he said.