Questions raised over pvt security agency for Secretariat

SHILLONG: Sohra MLA Titosstarwell Chyne has questioned the State government’s decision to hire a private security agency for the Secretariat.
Moving a cut motion in the Assembly on Wednesday, UDP’s Chyne asked whether the government thought the private agency would be more effective than police.
“The State has enough presence of police personnel who can provide security to the Secretariat,” he said.
To this, Minister in charge of Secretariat Administration Department Deborah Marak said the private agency is working together with the State Police for security of the Secretariat.
On the condition of the old Secretariat building, the Sohra MLA said the government should ascertain whether the building was safe.
Stating that many times, the employees cannot be differentiated from the visitors as they are found sitting together due to paucity of space in the Secretariat, he demanded that the employees be provided with identity cards and peons with uniforms.
The minister said the attendance of the employees in the Secretariat has improved after the introduction of the Access Control System.
Toilets, parking area
According to Chyne, the government should also take steps to modernise the washrooms at the Secretariat and even asked the government     to construct a common room for MLAs.
“MLAs go to the Secretariat for official work and have to wait for long,” he added.
Chyne also expressed his unhappiness over the large number of broken vehicles which are kept on the Secretariat premises and asked the government to remove them.
To this, Marak said the abandoned vehicles kept in the Secretariat could not be removed since the Transport Department is very slow in submitting the list of condemned vehicles.
About the discipline of the employees, Marak said that the matter has been taken up with the chief minister and added that the issue of construction of a common hall for MLAs and modernisation of washrooms will be examined.