SHILLONG: A resolution on the need to create a separate Garoland state was defeated by a voice vote in the Meghalaya Assembly on Tuesday.
Moving the resolution, GNC member Clifford Marak said that since there was lack of development in Garo Hills, it would be ideal to create a separate state for Garos.
According to Marak, there was a major disparity between the Garos and the Khasi-Jaintia population, both socially and economically.
“The demand for a separate Garoland state was raised due to lack of economic development and also due to linguistic barriers with the Khasi-Jaintia,” Marak told the Assembly.
“If the State Government is willing, they can take up the issue with the Centre and help us to achieve our goal for creation of a Garoland state,” said Marak.
Taking part in the discussion, HSPDP legislator HS Lyngdoh also stressed that there was need to bifurcate Meghalaya due to major differences in languages, cultures, customs, traditions, local governance and even land holding system, which had necessitated the need for separate states for the Khasi-Jaintias and the Garos.
After Marak refused to withdraw the resolution, it was rejected by a voice vote in the House.
In his reply, the Deputy Chief Minister RC Laloo, who was speaking on behalf of the Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, said that further division of the State would place even more constraints on its resources.
Laloo said that the developmental process would further suffer. For the viability of a state, a certain mass
in terms of area and population was necessary. ‘Further splintering will only increase the social and economic vulnerability of our people, without yielding any substantial gains in the long run’, he said.
“Will the process of division and sub division stop, after all? From regions to geographical units to tribes to sub-tribes to communes to clans to sub-clans – where does the true identity of a person or a group lie? In the name of preservation and protection of that identity, shall we finally split into political units aligned on the basis of tribal clans and sub-clans? Would that not take us back surely to the stone-age again,” the Deputy Chief Minister questioned.
He said that the state of Meghalaya as a single unit would move on from strength to strength and will be a beacon of hope and happiness to the rest of the country, with the passage of time.
Roy said that the Garo Hills region had witnessed significant improvement in its socio-economic profile since the emergence of Meghalaya as a new State.
“It sends 24 members to the State Legislative Assembly, which has a total strength of 60. This is a decisive representative presence in the legislative body of the State. It has its own Autonomous District Council. We propose to further strengthen the District Council by vesting more functions and powers in it”, Laloo said.
According to Laloo, the reservation policy of the state provided 40% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
“What was once a solitary district at the time of creation of the state has now been divided into five districts. The social infrastructure in terms of hospitals, CHCs, PHCs and educational institutions has been strengthened significantly”, he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the Government had proposed to set up a medical college cum hospital in the government sector in Garo Hills and a number of residential schools including Pine Mount model schools were being set up. “The first railway line into the region is nearing completion and we are pursuing with the Central Government the matter of construction of another railway line from Jogighopa to Silchar skirting the Indo-Bangladesh border. Another national highway connecting Dhubri- Phulbari-Tura including construction of a new bridge over Brahmaputra, has been approved and all this should improve the connectivity situation in the Garo Hills very significantly”, he said.
