By H.H. Mohrmen
Few months back a young journalist friend in Jowai said to me, “Right now West Jaintia hills is the most exciting place to live and work in.” When I asked him why, he responded saying, “It is the most happening district in the State.” Indeed many things have happened here under the watch of the District Administration because Jaintia hills district is not only lucky to have a young dynamic Deputy Commissioners but we also have dedicated officers at the district and the block levels who work extremely hard to deliver the goods to the citizenry.
When the central government is only embarking on its digital India program; the office of the Deputy Commissioner made the best use of the social media available to reach out to the public at large. The DC’s office accepts public complaints using social media. A friend who lives in Moodkyrdup area of Jowai and who is also a L.P. School teacher told me that the community had made several complaints to the MeECL to replace a rotten pole in the area which is an imminent threat to the people living in the area but to no avail. Then he took a photograph of the pole and sent a WhatsApp picture to the DC’s account. In a few days the pole was replaced. This is just one story; there are many stories which tell us of the instant action taken by various government departments even when a complaint was made using only social media like WhatsApp and Facebook.
The District Administration and the entire government machinery in the District functioned like a well-oiled machine and convergence of different government departments happened. Some of the examples one can cite here are the improvement of the Thadlaskein lake, the Jarain Pitcher plant (nan u sahep Klip) lake constructed in convergence with the DRDA via MNREGA, the District Administration and District Basin Development Unit (DBDU). Two prominent tourist spots Shnongpdeng and Krang Shuri have come up in the recent past which have helped create employment avenues for the local residents in the area. These projects are all done in convergence with different departments which include DRDA via MNREGA , DBDU, Border Area development, PWD and others.
The other developing tourist spots are Loom Tiniang at Mowtyrchiah, Darang and Moosakhia Samanong where convergence is already happening to develop the spots.
The DC’s office is also prompt in attending to complaints against fair price shop dealers which charged the poor consumers more that the government prescribed rates. The dealers were taken to task and their dealership was revoked. The people of Jowai town in particular and district in general who use LPG for cooking had suffered long enough for they have to collect their refills and return their empty cylinder at the distribution point. In spite of the fact that the gas agencies are supposed to deliver the cylinders at the home of the consumer the gas agencies never ever complied. Few years back this scribe along with another consumers lodged a complaint with the district administration against the gas agencies for not making home delivery of LPG but to no avail. The present administration on receiving a complaint summoned the two gas agencies in Jowai and ordered them to make home delivery by January 1, 2017. However till now the two gas agencies continue to violate the order.
I am sharing my experience because in the family I am responsible for the gas refill and only in our neighbourhood of five families we have a senior citizen having to return his empty cylinder and collect his refill and another mother of a single parent family having to take the trouble because there is no one else in the family who to do the chore. The outcome of our last complaint was the then DC convened a meeting between community leaders in Jowai town and the two gas agencies. The meeting resolved to allow the gas agencies to continue with point delivery because it is too costly for the agencies to make home delivery. Later when I met the leader of the Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong Jowai, I asked him, ‘what does home delivery mean?’ and why our LPG cylinder are not home delivered? He had no answer. If the agencies think that they are not making a profit to do home delivery, they should just resign. After all it is a business isn’t it? Let the Oil corporations call fresh applications for LPG distribution in Jowai and allot the agencies to those who can do home delivery.
When the DC posted on his facebook page that he had convened a meeting of the agencies and informed that he has convinced them to buy smaller vehicles to make home delivery of gas cylinders, everyone welcomed the move. But now we are at end of the January yet no home delivery is being made. Are the gas agencies responsible for his abrupt transfer because they don’t want to do home delivery of gas to the consumers in Jowai? That is a question that the public are asking.
The move made by the District Administration which was welcomed by the youths was the process of selection of candidates was made by the District Selection Committee. It is for the first time in the history of the district that an effort is being made to conduct fair and transparent tests and interviews to select candidates for postings in the offices of various government departments. The test was conducted using OMR sheet and immediately key answers were posted on the District Administration facebook page for the candidates to compare their scores with the correct answers. Making use of the simple technology available to everyone the District Selection Committee was able to make some difference in the way the candidates were selected for appointment to vacancies available in various government offices. And the invigilators were asked to be strict and even invigilators were punished when it was found that they did not perform.
What makes the present administration popular amongst the youths of the district? There are two things: The effort to bring change and easy communication. These are the two key factors that help the administration to connect especially with the young citizens of the district. The administration made use of social media like Facebook and WhatsApp to communicate with the people and being able to provide them instant solutions also helped make it popular.
Many have questioned and some organisations have even protested and went on a hunger strike to protest against the abrupt transfer of the DC West Jaintia Hills. What could be the reason for his transfer? Of course the leaders of the Kiang Nangbah Students Union are taking the credit but the DC has already accepted that if he can change the past that is one thing that he would do differently. Could it be the gas agencies that pressured the government to remove him? Is it really the KNGSU? Is it the Synjuk ki Waheh Chnong Jwai? Or perhaps the DC is too hot a commodity for the politicians to handle?
The DC was unexpectedly transferred because he had touched on the ‘Holy cow.’ Politician is not a politician if he cannot help his supporters get appointed in a government job. Imagine how a politician’s leader will react if his ward’s name does appear in the list of selected candidates for the government post in the interview conducted by the DSC. What will be his fate in 2018 if this continues? And isn’t it true even the members of the DSC were all political appointees?
The DC was removed because he dared to touch the holy cow and now it remains to be seen if the one replacing him will continue with what he had started, or will it be too big a shoe for him/her to fit?