The NPP-led Government appears to be working at a frenetic pace taking stock of things. Between air-dashing to meet central ministers in Delhi, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma is also prioritising the needs of the State. The latest objective of looking south towards Bangladesh for economic initiatives is a welcome move. The Act East Policy is meaningless for Meghalaya as a state, because our closest link to any international outlet for trade and commerce is towards the south through Bangladesh. It is also a stark reality that there are people of Bangladeshi origin who work and live in Meghalaya. The construction business here would not sustain without Bangladeshi labourers. Hence it is important to identify them and give them work permits rather than allowing them to remain an amorphous group that is not easily identifiable. This usually ends up in pre-election noises and politicians making hay out of the issue but which also dies down once elections are over. The lack of seriousness to resolve this contentious issue of illegal immigrants has been the bane of successive governments. It is a welcome respite therefore that the Chief Minister has met the External Affairs Minister and apprised her of the exigencies obtaining here vis-a-vis trade with Bangladesh and illegal migration from that country.
Currently, Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina is India’s only friendly neighbour amongst the South Asian countries. Bangladesh has been co-operating with India in pushing back the insurgent outfits taking shelter there. This has greatly reduced the fire power of such outfits who have now taken shelter in Myanmar. Meghalaya sells huge quantities of coal and limestone to Bangladesh but there is a lot of informal trade/smuggling too. Cattle, for instance, is not a legal export from India but cattle smuggling is a thriving business and it is happening through the porous borders of our state. It is time for Meghalaya to think of formalising the cattle trade. This would be a huge revenue earner. Better still if the meat is processed before it is exported because that is what Bangladesh does. It exports processed meat to the Middle East. Time for Meghalaya to think of better business ventures which will create jobs for its youth and also earn foreign exchange!
