Govt panel remains a non-starter

SHILLONG: A jumbo-sized committee formed by the State government to strengthen the traditional institutions has remained a non- starter since its formation in a meeting convened by the State Government on March 4 this year.
The committee consisting of as many as 43 members – headed by Chief Adviser to the Meghalaya government and former Chief Minister DD Lapang – was to submit its report to the Government within 60 days.
The term of the committee is set to expire next week (May 4) without a single meeting being called till date.
It was in the aftermath of the High Court of Meghalaya ruling restricting headmen from issuing various certificates that the State government had deemed it necessary to constitute the committee. The task of the committee was to submit recommendations to empower and institutionalize the traditional institutions.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Bindo Lanong, who is a member of the Committee, on Wednesday, said it was unfortunate that not a single meeting was convened by the Chairman of the panel.
“It appears that the Government is not at all concerned. I had called up Lapang a month ago expressing the need to meet and he had even agreed to convene the meeting, but in vain,” Lanong said.
According to Lanong, various fallouts of the Court ruling could be avoided if there had been proper follow ups.
“Moreover, the Village Administration Bill is still lying with the Government pending approval,” he said.
Earlier, another member of the panel, Toki Blah, had criticized the Government for constituting an ill-represented panel. Blah had spoken against non representation of women and non- indigenous persons in the committee headed by Lapang.