Marvelene rape case
SHILLONG: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma once again chose to remain discreet about any specific action against the owners of Marvelene’s Inn and repeated his earlier statement that “law of the land will prevail”.
HSPDP legislator Ardent Basaiawmoit moved a motion in the Assembly on Tuesday on the government’s failure to provide justice to its citizens. He demanded an inquiry against the owner of the guest house where a 14-year-old girl was raped several times.
Marvelene’s Inn is owned by Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh’s family.
“The law of the land will prevail and it prevailed even when an MLA (Julius Dorphang) was arrested on charges of raping the minor girl,” said the chief minister.
While replying to Basaiawmoit’s questions on the government’s laxity in dealing with the Marvelene’s Inn incident, he said investigation cannot be discriminatory. Basaiawmoit said police did not question the owner of the Inn till date because he is the son of the Home minister.
He cited the cases of arrests of people only on mere suspicion compared to the delay in probing the owner of the guest house at Rilbong.
Healthcare glitches
Earlier, Sangma spoke at length on the healthcare sector saying though infrastructure at public hospitals is not uniform the government has taken initiatives to upgrade it. He said Shillong civil hospital now has 600 beds.
The government is also in the process of upgrading primary health centres to referral centres despite several challenges, said the chief minister.
While admitting that the government missed an important segment of shifting the Reid Chest Hospital for undertaking the project of Shillong Medical College, he said new modalities were worked out and it is on the verge of completion.
According to Sangma, the Union government had even sanctioned Rs 185 crore for Tura Medical College but the land did not meet MCI criteria. So the government identified another land but there is a problem of encroachment and everyone is trying to address the issue.
He also said the government has increased the number of seats for local students in the Regional Institute of Medical Science in Manipur.
On the much talked about Megha Health Insurance Scheme, Sangma said the government has increased the package to Rs 2.80 lakh and there is also a benefit of Rs 30,000 for senior citizens under the scheme.
Earlier, Basaiawmoit said the poor in the State have to run from pillar to post for treatment.