Mechanism needed to check misuse of MLA scheme: Roy

SHILLONG: UDP president and Shella legislator Donkupar Roy has underlined the need for a mechanism to prevent misappropriation of funds under the MLA scheme even as he minced no words to say that any legislator found misusing his scheme will lose the goodwill of the people and be “defeated in the elections”.
Asked about his opinion on the allegations of misuse of funds under the MLA scheme, Roy said in no uncertain terms that “The people are the best judge. So, MLAs found misappropriating funds will be rejected by the people. They will be defeated in the elections. Here, it is important that a mechanism is put in place to check any such misuse of funds under the scheme.”
Of late, several legislators have been accused of misusing funds under MLA scheme, especially the Special Urban Works Programme.
The UDP leader however said many MLAs spend funds under the scheme for the benefit of the people.
“In fact, a majority of them spend funds under the scheme for development and for benefit of the people. But the demand from people in a constituency is more than Rs 6crore as against the Rs 2crore that MLAs now get under the scheme. So, it also not easy for MLAs unless the funds are available,” he said.
‘Infrastructure is key’
Asked whether MLAs should focus on improving infrastructure such as roads and bridges rather than engaging in distributing utility items, Roy said that the emphasis, whether at the village or the urban level, should be on development of infrastructure, particularly roads.
“No economy can grow without infrastructure, more so without good roads. Here, I must say that we are still lacking,” Roy said.
Roads in Shella, the UDP leader’s constituency and a potential tourism spot, also need to be developed. The 90km route from the city to the constituency is marked by potholes and broken stretches.
“We have roads just to connect the bridges. But for export or supply of heavy equipment purpose, we need roads that can take the load of trucks carrying heavy items. Such roads have to be constructed by adhering to specifications required for the national highways. Otherwise, they will not be able to withstand the load and get damaged,” he said.
The UDP leader also said the transport department should enforce stricter regulations to prevent trucks from carrying more than the specified limit.
“But we find that trucks are carrying more than 25-30 tonnes as against the specified limit of 15 tonnes. So, the transport department should be active and regulations have to be stricter to check such violations,” Roy said.