Editor,
Arguments for and against the ILP in Meghalaya at this stage are futile, except for academic interest, as the contending parties’ points of view will never meet, even tangentially. It is obvious that the CM, Dr. Mukul Sangma, already has a plan and an objective of his own and will never budge from the path he has set for himself and the state of Meghalaya. Therefore his plan is not negotiable! The Mukul Sangma policy is the “Open Door” Policy, whereas the Pro-ILP groups fight for an effective instrument to bar the entry of infiltrators into Meghalaya at the entry points in the border. After all, “influx” means, “arrival or entry of a large number of people or things. So, if there was a debate on influx, the Pro-ILP group would win hands down on the very definition and connotation of the term ‘influx ‘. It is quaint that a highly qualified man like Dr Mukul Sangma appears to believe that the Tenancy Laws he has proposed could check the influx from a foreign soil! If they were screened out at the border, where is the question of their seeking tenancy rights within Meghalaya? If they are suspected to have infiltrated illegally, they have to be searched out and deported immediately.
The train of events from the time of the communal flare up in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District (BTAD)region in Assam last year gives a clear picture of the mind of Dr Mukul Sangma. Fearing the murder and mayhem there would lead to an exodus of the victims there to this State, several NGOs in Meghalaya met the CM and requested him to urgently seal the entry points at the borders. The CM refused and said that he would consider an effective mechanism to curb the influx. A few months passed and the NGOs met the CM again. This time the CM appointed a Committee of officials for recommendations. That Committee just faded away. Then the CM appointed a High Level Committee, chaired by Mr Bindo M.Lanong, the then Deputy Chief Minister, who duly submitted the Committee’s Report recommending implem-entation of the ILP with modifications to suit the conditions and needs of Meghalaya. The CM sat on the Report for quite some time and finally junked it, prompting Mr Lanong to cry out in disbelief and exasperation, “If the CM has not examined the recommendations then the Constitution of the High Level Committee was a waste!” Dr Sangma rejects outright the idea that the ILP is the solution to the influx problem.
Meanwhile, the pressure groups organized themselves into one body to demand immediate introduction of the ILP. The CM called a meeting on 29th August 2013, but in that meeting he refused to discuss the ILP and instead proposed a Tenancy Act that would regulate the tenant-landlord relationship. The inflexible stand of the government left no room for a compromise formula. That meeting failed and resulted in a stand-off. The pressure groups were disappointed and agitated that their point of view was not even heard, and chalked out agitation programmes, joined by other organizations and parties as well. The government responded by applying draconian laws treating the pressure groups and the participating civil societies as criminals. The Mukul Sangma government remained unmoved even after the wise counsel given by none other than the President of India to respond effectively to the views of the civil societies and resolve differences through dialogue. Mukul Sangma agreed to call them to the table only if they agree to talk about the Tenancy Bill that he had proposed. So the impasse continues but the CM remains unperturbed.
Dr Mukul Sangma has proved his mettle but for the good and security of the country as a whole the current turmoil and the confrontation in Meghalaya should not be allowed to persist. Left to themselves, the confronting parties will never back down and there will be a breakdown of the governmental machinery. The Government of India will have to intervene quickly, because the present State government policy poses a grave internal and external security risk. India is facing grave threats arising out of enemy infiltrations in the west, all along the north of the Himalayas to the east, and also her relation with the neighbours in the south is shaky. An open route through Bangladesh will pose a grave security risk to India. Gun runners, terror mongers, fake currency note peddlers and other enemy agents can have an easy access to India. Internally, there will be a breakdown of law and order and agents provocateurs will have a field day among the disgruntled and the deprived.
Yours etc.,
Rueben Dkhar,
Shillong – 3
Lackadaisical AG staff
Editor,
I wish to highlight the plight of newly appointed gazetted officers serving under the Meghalaya Government. The officers have to get payslips from the Accountant General’s Office to enable them to draw their salary. But very often the Dealing Assistants concerned come late to office and leave early and are also very careless. In fact one newly appointed officer had gone to the dealing assistant concerned only to be told that his file was empty and that no documents had been received from the concerned officer’s office but then a closer search yielded the missing documents which were found right there on the Dealing Assistant’s desk. The person had simply not bothered to even file the documents. Three weeks later the officer again went to the Dealing Assistant and found that the incumbent would come only after noon and leave for home by 2.30 pm which means that the incumbent works only for 2-3 hours a day. After arriving at the office the Dealing Assistant would move up and down without paying attention to the poor officer who had been waiting for him since morning. Finally when confronted the Dealing Assistant put up the excuse that this or that document was missing when in fact all the required documents were there. It may be mentioned that this has gone on for nearly one year and the poor officer has still not received his payslip. So much for the efficiency of the Accountant General’s office!
On further inquiry it was found that the plight of officers from other departments were the same. The list includes MCS officers, and those of the Forest Department, etc, with the most affected tribe being MBBS doctors, the majority of whom have to literally live from hand to mouth. This is not just about newly appointed officers but also officers who come on transfer from one post to another. They literally have to run from pillar to post to get their payslips .
Auditor General, are you listening?
Yours etc.,
A aggrieved officer
(Name withheld on request)