By Lakhan Kma
In the last few years, the State Government has been harping on ‘smart city project’ of the Central Government. Under 50:50 funding pattern between the Centre and State, Shillong missed the bus by sticking on 90:10 funding pattern coupled with the Centre’s unwillingness to offer any concession to the State due to various reasons. On hindsight, with a tag of #276 on the Swachh Survekshan-2017, much behind Guwahati (134), Imphal (122), Aizawl (105), Gangtok (50), etc., we do not deserve it! Our rampant display of ignorance of public hygiene and waste mismanagement and disposal is painstakingly shameful. The city’s drainage system is choked by our daily wastes particularly polythene bags and other plastic materials. Once it rains and the drain overflows with dirt and debris on the roads, we are fully exposed. A visit to the exit point of the large drains or the so-called rivers that pass through the city which culminates into Umiam Lake displays our ‘wishful ignorance’ in the city. We have the best of facilities in our city which is not available in other parts of the State; but along the way, we have also mastered the art of ‘me and mine only’ and ‘to hell with the surrounding’ attitude. We are learned city dwellers but with tons of ignorance about the common interests of clean and healthy environment and sanitation. On the part of government, it failed to implement and monitor the existing laws of waste management and disposal with sincerity and honesty.
The migration from rural areas to the city due to lack of facilities or livelihood opportunities in those areas coupled with illegal influx has resulted in Shillong exceeding its carrying capacity. Here come the roles of subsequent Governments in these last 45 years of our Statehood who have failed to improve the conditions of rural areas. Let me touch upon some of the serious issues in the villages. Firstly, why should our villages not have regular electricity when the State can withstand power dues from CMJ Breweries, Bomber Cement, RNB Carbide, etc. to the tune of several crores? When a household does not pay the bill for a month or two, immediately power supply is cut, then how come whopping power dues are tolerated from these companies? Is/was there a nexus between those in government and these companies?
Secondly, the lack of basic health services in the rural areas is a major concern. One has to rush to the city hospitals even for some common illness. Who will explain the logic of having operation theatres in Nongpoh/Nongstoin district hospitals with no specialist and thereby lying idle? Or having ultrasound machine in Nongpoh hospital which is not registered and hence unusable or an X-ray machine at Bhoirymbong CHC which is not registered and lying idle or having blood storing equipment in Nongpoh/Nongstoin hospitals with blood bank under construction. More bizarre scenario is to have a CT scan of Rs. 1.12 crores in Tura district hospital which is non-functional since its installation in April 2006. Who is answerable for these mindless and wasteful expenditures to the tune of several crores when an average villager is denied basic medical care in his/her village? The fact is unprofessional management of our health care system is killing it and a naïve populace will continue to suffer.
Another issue is the lack of composite planning of livelihood missions in villages. Look at the Meghalaya State Aquaculture Mission of the last 5 years. There were no takers for it yet this government is coming out with another mission called Meghalaya State Livestock Mission with an earmark of Rs. 1000 crores. With a deficit budget year after year only God knows from where the money will come. The Government has to realize the strengths and weaknesses of different regions of the State without generalize everything. Take for example the Meghalaya State Aquaculture Mission; it was destined to fail in East Khasi Hills with lack of abundant availability of perennial water bodies or climatic conditions or limited species of fishes, but had the potential to succeed in Garo Hills areas with suitable climate, topography and availability of plentiful water bodies and fish varieties. But alas, it was not run in mission mode and hence was bound to fail. Lack of livelihoods in the rural areas had forced the villagers to greener pastures in the city adding to its ever increasing problems.
The HSLC results indicate that there is no dearth of hardworking and intelligent students in the nook and corners of our State, yet we had school dropouts of over 1 lakhs between the years 2012-16. From the day the results are declared, those who can afford will rush to Shillong for admission to various +2 schools and colleges. Why is a government higher secondary school or colleges in their own village/town not the first preference for the students? Even with good infrastructure, well-paid and job- secured faculty and staff, these institutes are not the preferred choice for the students. Is it that the government assured job security itself has become a deterrent for its own growth and thereby failed to attract and retain students with time? Is government apathy towards improving the education scenario in our schools and colleges in semi-urban or rural areas contributing to school dropouts? The answer is perhaps-yes.
Another issue that highlights the lack of concern and smartness on the part of government is the implementation and running of JNNURM buses. Hundreds of these buses are unusable within 2 to 7 years due to lack of proper maintenance. Who is answerable? Perhaps it is the government of India who has so generously given the State government Rs. 30-40 crores in 7 years to purchase these 256 odd vehicles. Under shady deals with certain NGOs, the MoA between the State government and Ministry of Urban Development, Govt. of India has been violated resulting into hundreds of them lying unusable in different nooks and corners of the city. The irony of its implementation is that while hundreds of these buses choke the Motphran point every day, 20 persons were killed in the 1st week of March this year since there was no public bus available to them and they were at the mercy of a drunken truck driver while travelling from their village to attend a Youth Synod in West Khasi Hills.
The lack of vision and mission of our government can be reflected in its hurry to create more and more districts and C & RD blocks. It does not make much sense for a tiny state like Meghalaya with an area of 24,429 Sq Km area and a population of 29,64,007 to have 11 districts and 43 C & RD blocks (perhaps more to be added). While it might look politically correct, it is certainly bad economics. With every addition of new districts and C & RD blocks, the administrative cost simply doubles whereas the earnings of the State is sliding with every passing year as indicated by the annual budget. How will contractually appointed officers render their services to the people of the new districts or C & RD Blocks. When regular employees with all the facilities do not deliver the goods, it will be naive to expect the contractual appointees to deliver. It is a folly to believe that more and more administrative units will improve the delivery system in governance. Rather, we are only going to pass the buck and nothing is going to change on the ground. In a fund-crunched State like ours, judicious and optimum use of our resources and plugging the loopholes is the only way out. By being politically correct, we cannot shy away from our responsibilities. How difficult it is to provide equitable distribution of developmental activities without being biased or having ulterior motives. The demand for separate districts/blocks can be circumvented by bringing equitable development of all areas falling under it.
I have only touched upon some of the issues to highlight my point that our State government is not so smart. Time has come where government should focus its energy and resources to develop the rural areas and arrest this pattern of plight of the village folks to urban centres. Let us recollect what Mahatma Gandhi has envisaged that until there is upliftment of the rural population and villages, our nation cannot proper. In was true then, it is still a truth for the country as a whole and for the State of Meghalaya in particular. What Meghalaya requires are smart citizens and smarter politicians for a really smart Meghalaya. When the entire State has become smart, we will have several smart places, not just one or two.
(The author teaches History in NEHU)