By Willie Gordon Suting
The fear psychosis created by the railway project in Ri Bhoi and East Khasi Hills, which prompted a group of activists to resort to violence, is not new in Meghalaya. The first railway line proposal for the State in the early 1980s met with tremendous opposition, even from the educated class and despite former chief minister Capt. Williamson Sangma’s determination to bring about development, the project did not see the light of the day for two decades.
Railways will bring migrants into the State in hordes and take over the tribal populace leading to anthropological anomaly, feel many local organisations and NGOs like the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and the Federation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) and political parties like KHNAM and HSPDP.
The railways came to India in 1853 mainly to give a fillip to the British trade. As the network of tracks expanded, the hoi polloi too benefited. Today, the railways is the trusted mode of transportation for the middle and the lower middle classes. Besides, it is the biggest employer among the public sectors in the country.
So what makes local organisations to go up in arms against the developmental move and create a hurdle for a potential employment generator, especially when the State is blighted by joblessness?
“We are not against development. We have an apprehension because we are cautious,” says FKJGP President Wellbert Rani in defence.
The apprehension that Rani is speaking about was rubbished long back by Capt. Sangma who had pointed out that the State’s unique landholding system and the provisions under the Sixth Schedule would take care of the influx problem.
But a former KSU member says though these two laws have all provisions to safeguard the rights of the tribals in the State, the implementing agencies are lax and that is adding fuel to the fire and people are sceptical.
According to KSU and FKJGP members, the absence of entry and exit points might magnify the problem of influx.
“It is important to inspect people who come into the state because crimes like women trafficking and drugs can also be curbed,” Rani says.
Arupjyoti Saikia, Professor of History at IIT-Guwahati, says works such as expansion of railways always bring in more people in the form of workers, traders and other speculators. “But on the other hand, improved communication is crucial for places like Meghalaya.”
Talking about the large number of migrants in Assam, Saikia says, “Assam’s largest historical migration through the railways took place before partition. Those who migrated from East Bengal took the benefit of cheaper and easier travel through the railways. But it will be unwise to claim that railway is the sole agent of Assam’s demographic transformation.”
In the last two decades, Meghalaya has seen massive exodus of youngsters who wanted better career opportunities. The vacuum created by the migration was naturally filled up by people from other northeastern states and the mainland who came by road or on the airway. Does that mean that inner line permit is the solution?
“ILP will isolate the state and deter growth of tourism which the Government is betting big on,” explains a senior government official and adds that entry and exit points are sufficient to check influx, if any.
The former KSU member too was against ILP. However, he says the check points that the State has are for roadways and not railways. “But the KSU members have to spell it out and clearly state what exactly they want,” he adds.
The protesters feel there is no mechanism to check flooding of migrants, especially labourers who come looking for manual work. With so many realty projects coming up in different parts of the State and so less number of casual workers, it is imminent that outsiders will rush into the void. But none of them are permanent settlers.
The protesting groups have so far not sought to have a dialogue with the Government which had been equally apathetic to invite the agitating members to the talks table. None of the parties thought it necessary to rationalise things taking into consideration views of the common man who is always at the receiving end of any imbroglio.
When asked to comment on the situation, Daniel Khyriem, former president of KSU central body, said the group will soon have a dialogue with the Government. “After the talks, we will issue a statement on our stand. Till then neither I nor any member of KSU can comment on the issue,” is what he has to say.
The agitation that started in the 1980s diverted the first railway project (from Assam to Byrnihat) to Garo Hills and this is all thanks to late PA Sangma whose farsightedness helped Meghalaya to get its first railway station at Mendipathar in North Garo Hills. An astute Sangma also successfully tackled the upsurge in the region over the project.
In one of his speeches in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Demands for Grants, Railways, 1977-1978, the NPP founder had said, “The State of Meghalaya, particularly the Garo Hills which I represent, is perhaps the most backward area in the country… Though it is a backward district, yet it is very rich in mineral resources and forest products. These mineral resources could not be exploited because of lack of communications. Establishment of railway link is the only way to open up the potentialities of exploiting its mineral resources.”
Now, the railway line connecting Mendipathar with Guwahati, which was inaugurated in 2014, has become a lifeline for small farmers in the region.
Bintu M. Sangma, Additional General Secretary (AGS) of Northern Zone North Garo Hills, says there is no influx in Garo Hills because of the railways, “at least not yet”.
“In fact, the railways has helped locals. Earlier they would take their farm produce in buses but now travelling by train has made things easier and they can directly take their produce to Assam markets,” says Bintu Sangma.
When asked whether GSU ever discussed the topic with KSU or tried to rationalise the situation in the wake of the violence, the Garo Hills students’ union leader says, “They have not approached us for our opinion. If they do, we will definitely explain the situation to them.”
But Rani debunks the claims of railways benefiting people. He says what Chief Minister Mukul Sangma says is wrong. “The entry and exit points in Mendipathar are under process, and local NGOs there are turning the heat on the Government. There is massive influx in Mendipathar.”
“I feel the Government should also look into other areas of development like construction of roads in many rural areas,” adds Rani after a pause.
North Garo Hills SP Dalton P. Marak has a different take on it. He says there is no trouble in the region post-railway. In fact, people are happy as they are getting good price for their produce and travel cost has also come down to Rs 60 to and fro from Rs 300.
“We have our checkpoint at the railway station and there is no such report of influx. Mostly locals are travelling on the train,” says the SP.
The Ri Bhoi situation snowballed into a violent issue and spilt on to East Khasi Hills. The arrest of two senior KSU leaders and other functionaries in Ri Bhoi fuelled tension in Shillong too with reports of petrol bomb attacks coming from several pockets in the city. To tackle the situation, the East Khasi Hills district administration has imposed Section 144 from 6pm to 5am.
On whether the Government is planning to come up with awareness programmes on the benefits of railway line, Ri Bhoi district Deputy Commissioner C.P Gotmare says at this juncture there have been no such talks.
“We look after the law and order and have not thought about talking with KSU members,” says P.S Dkhar, Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills.
Government’s role
The KSU leaders were arrested following an altercation with district administration officials in presence of senior police officers during a meeting. Talks turned futile after the police reportedly hinted at arresting the leaders. Neither party were in a mood for reconciliation or introspection.
“Land acquisition for entry-exit points must be made first. Action was taken on the members of KSU because they took the law in their own hands. It is the responsibility of the Government to do what is right,” says Gotmare.
“The Government must be quick with decisions. The arrest of KSU members could have been avoided if both sides had some wisdom and foresight,” MLA Paul Lyngdoh says.
Earlier, the Chairman of media cell of HSPDP, Londoner M. Sohtun, said, “The state government did not listen to the MLAs and NGOs who were opposing railway projects.”
It was not until the issue turned violent that Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on June 4 said to the press that “entry-exit points will be put in place before the construction of railway lines”.
FKJGP has already asked the Government to stop work at the railway project site at Ronghuna in Byrnihat where the situation flared up on May 27 when a group of KSU members went for inspection.
“It is all up to the Government to decide because we NGOs have continually stressed that a mechanism is important. We feel the Government should put on hold everything to decide first and then to release the KSU members,” FKJGP’s Rani says.
Green alarm
An important factor that should have worried not only KSU or FKJGP but even the Government and the local population is that how the project will affect the natural diversity of the State and how much green cover will it lose in order to lay down the railway tracks.
Saikia of IIT-Guwahati says the political class of Meghalaya will have to be extra alert that the railways do not bring “massive environmental degradation”.
“The classic example is that in Uttarakhand. Rapid improvement in transport facilities led to rapid but unwise development of Uttarakhand. The 2012 disaster was a result of this. The people of Meghalaya will have to ensure that railways bring only limited damage but more good,” he adds.
Heavy rain led to floods and landslides in Uttarakhand in August 2012 killing more than 30 people and destroying several villages.
In the doldrums
Work on the railway project in the Meghalaya portion has stopped though it is in progress in the Assam part. An official of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) says workers are scared as the May 27 attack was not the first time. In 2015, a similar attack took place and without provocation.
“I think the mass here wants the railways because they are aware of the benefits. It is only a handful of people who are creating trouble. Meghalaya, unlike Manipur or Nagaland, is not a militancy-hit state. Those who are creating hurdles are locals… The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) wanted railway line in every northeastern state by 2020. But the way things are progressing, 2030 also seems a distant dream,” says the NFR official.
The word of caution had also come from veteran politician D.D Lapang who had said if the violence continued then the State might lose its chance of moving a step forward on the development path.
NFR could not give a time frame as to when they can start work again in Meghalaya putting the project in the doldrums for now.
Dialogue is the need of the hour and all stakeholders — the Government and the opposition, the protesters and the public — need to participate. Instead of rhetoric and hyperboles, politicians need to be logical and honest in explaining the pros and cons of railways to the protesters who, in turn, can be less emotional and more practical in analysing the future prospects.
(With inputs from Nabamita Mitra)