In Meghalaya the only voice heard is that of the Chief Minister. At the moment he is busy inaugurating/launching new programmes/projects in different regions of the state but more so in Garo Hills. There is no quarrel on that! The Chief Minister represents Garo aspirations more than he does that of the entire state. That is because he requires the support of the 24 MLAs from Garo Hills to return to power. MLAs from the Khasi-Jaintia hills have been uncharacteristically silent. We don’t get to hear of them or from them. This deafening silence from representatives in whom people have reposed their implicit faith to lead them for five years is a betrayal of trust. There are problems galore that beset the people of Khasi-Jaintia Hills and it starts from the capital city of Shillong. On a daily basis, citizens suffer unexplained power cuts that disrupt their lives and livelihoods and increase their dependence on polluting generators and invertors that only the affluent can afford. Power cuts in the villages are even more frequent and last for days, before being restored. People have no agency other than to go to their elected representatives with their grouse. But they are disappointed.
Roads – the index of progress and development have never been in a worse condition than they are today. Even the road leading to the one and only regional institute of health and medical sciences in New Shillong is in complete shambles. The Chief Minister will not know the condition of most roads since he hardly travels within Shillong. Most times he takes the helicopter for his travels to different parts of the state to lay foundation stones. A wise man, the CM is laying the base for the 2018 election much ahead of the Election Commission’s bar on free use of official transportation for political purposes. He must be admired for this but what about the 59 other MLAs and especially those from the urban constituencies of Greater Shillong? Why are their lips sealed?
Other basic needs like potable water continue to be a challenge in urban and rural Meghalaya. The lesser we talk of health care the better! Even basic civic amenities are at breaking point. The Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme cannot be the answer to our poor health infrastructure. Will these critical issues ever be addressed in Meghalaya?