Guwahati: Stressing on the need to increase efficiency of the government machinery, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday compared his role (as chief minister) to that of a sweeper who sweeps the society clean.
Replying to a debate on motion of thanks of the Governor’s speech at the Assam Legislative Assembly here Sonowal underlined the need to instill fear of the law among the people, while urging all sections of people to help the government to put in place a transparent and efficient administration.
Sonowal said, “My role as the chief minister is to clean the system. My work is similar to that of a sweeper – we both have to clean the society.”
He underlined the need to increase the efficiency level of the state administration. Lamenting that the Assam government had a negative reputation of being slow in work and delivery, Sonowal said administrative reforms were being undertaken to change this negative perception on the state administration.
Reiterating his vision for a ‘foreigner (illegal migrants)-free, corruption-free, pollution-free and insurgency-free’ Assam, the chief minister said cleaning up the system would ensure benefits of government’s welfare schemes reaching the people while increasing efficiency of the administration would lead to a corruption-free state.
In order to create an illegal migrants-free Assam, Sonowal said the task of updating of National Register of Citizens (NRC) was being pursued in right earnest. He countered the opposition’s allegation of sluggish NRC updating work saying that it is not a task to be done in a hurry as an error-free NRC is essential to safeguard the rights of the people.
He also hihglighted the importance the government had been according to sealing the porous Indo-Bangladesh border at the earliest to check illegal migration.
The chief minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, commended the role of the state police in combating terrorism and said the government will be undertaking several measures to further strengthen the police force.
On Opposition criticism over government eviction drives in different forest areas, the chief minister pointed that it was carried out in adherence to a Supreme Court verdict given during the Congress regime, which was not challenged by the then-ruling party.
He said, “If the government does not take action against the encroachers, it will be encouraging the people to break the law. We must instill a fear of the law among the people, else there will be anarchy.” He, however, added that the security of the displaced people would be ensured and no genuine citizen will have to face any problem.
