Cabinet reshuffle essentially means dropping some ministers and inducting new ones. The basis for dropping or retaining ministers should depend on their performance. Non-performing ministers who don’t pull their weight have to be dropped. There is no two ways about it. Unfortunately, in Meghalaya, the performance of ministers is the least of the imperatives in the Chief Minister’s scheme of things. Sniawbhalang Dhar first held the portfolio of PWD (Roads). He is a businessman by profession and his first priority is to enhance his business. With Dhar as Minister PWD (Roads) the roads of Shillong city and other areas of the State have degenerated at a very rapid pace. Beyond Shillong city, roads in some parts of Ri Bhoi and East Khasi Hills district have become mud paths. The budget provision for 2015-16 was Rs 828.48 and the expenditure for that year was Rs 775.68. The problem is that there are no mechanisms to measure outcomes and no detailed report of expenditures are available unless one files an RTI. But RTI answers by the PWD are made so technical that it is hard for the common person to comprehend which contractor is doing which job and how. After a series of newspaper reports on the dilapidated condition of all roads in Meghalaya under Dhar’s supervision, the Department was taken away from him and handed over to Martin Danggo whose track record for credibility remains a question mark.
A cursory glance into the CAG observations vis-a- vis the Public Works Department suggests absence of diligence leading to wasteful expenditure of several crores of rupees. Such lapses are possible because there is no penalty for poor project execution such as non-testing of soil profile before constructing roads and bridges thereby leading to collapse of roads and bridges after a cloudburst. The Department can only be held accountable by a scrupulous minister. That is the missing factor in Meghalaya. As far as Prestone Tynsong is concerned, the reason for jettisoning him is his proximity to the National People’s Party (NPP). So too, Sniawbhalang Dhar. And the NPP and its leadership are beta-noire of Dr Mukul Sangma. Hence the axing of Tynsong and Dhar were both expected. Cabinet ministers are not inducted because of their capability. They are in the cabinet because of their loyalty to the Chief Minister! Period.