SHILLONG: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has indirectly rejected the suggestion of few MLAs to convene a special session of the Assembly to allow the legislators to deliberate on the current law and order situation in Garo Hills.
During the news conference after his meeting with Garo Hills-based legislators on Tuesday, when asked if the Government subscribes to the suggestion for holding the special session, Sangma decided to leave the newsmen without responding to the question.
“There is a need to discuss this important issue in different platform. It is for this specific reason we have taken up this kind of exercise today. We will continue with this kind of engagement in the near future,” Sangma said.
The Chief Minister said that whenever, there is an Assembly session, opportunity will be available for all the members of the House to deliberate on the issue.
Earlier, Chokpot legislator Clifford R Marak informed that he had suggested to the Government on the need to hold a special session of the State Assembly.
“I strongly feel that there is a need to convene the special session since it would provide an opportunity to all the members to deliberate on the current law and order situation in Garo Hills,” Marak said.
The Chief Minister said that the Government has convened the meeting to ideally share about the measures that is put in place by the Government to understand the challenges which are being confronted.
“We have talked about those measures which the Government basically has taken and few of the things which the Government is required to take by putting in place a mechanism to address the problem in a comprehensive manner,” Sangma said.
Neighbourhood watch
The Chief Minister said that the Government has suggested on the need to have an effective interface between the district administration, police and community in respect of a neighbourhood watch concept to ultimately have safe and secure neighbourhood.
“In order to develop the neighbourhood watch concept, the Government will have to put in certain amount of infrastructural intervention with the complete involvement of the district administration,” the Chief Minister said.
He said that the Government has also adopted a strategy as to how we can basically create an opportunity for any member of the militant outfit or terrorist organisation to basically take advantage of the Government offer and rehabilitation package.
“The kind of rehabilitation package that we are talking about is being structured and a committee is already constituted to ensure that the rehabilitation package which we talk about includes aggressive counselling, handholding programme, training and sustainable livelihood initiatives that act as a basket of livelihood opportunities.
The members can avail the benefits under the package based on their competence, capacity and interest,” Sangma said.
The Chief Minister also said that there is a need to address the usual tendency of the youth to easily get influenced and join the militant organisation.
“Obviously there is much more analysis that is required to understand the overall factor which goes into this. Lots of research works done by scholars and social scientists in respect to various conflict zones across the globe will become handy to us. But something which is relevant to our own condition is what we are aiming at,” Sangma said.
In the next meeting, he said that the Government has suggested that there is a need to have a comprehensive documentation to share with the legislators and the people on the multiple factors which come into play in a conflict zone where youth become the victims of militant forces.
“Though the Government has as got its own analysis and assessment. We need to have much more comprehensive documentation which will be shared with the people. After this engagement, the Government would also involve other stakeholders like the social activists, religious persons, traditional institutions and eminent citizens,” the Chief Minister said.
He informed that there would be a meeting again next month in Garo Hills and subsequently there will be a separate meetings in Khasi and Jaintia Hills region since there are also certain areas which are of matter of concern.
Besides the legislators, Sangma said that the MDCs, traditional institutions, civil society activists, religious activists, academicians and different NGOs would be invited to attend the next meeting.