SHILLONG: While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated the MDA government for formulating it own water policy, the Leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma, said it was a long drawn excise spanning at least four years.
The MDA cabinet recently notified the water policy. During his Mann ki Baat radio address on Sunday, Modi said,”Meghalaya has become the first state to have formulated its own water-policy. I congratulate Meghalaya government”.
Mukul, however, said on Monday that along with the integrated basin development initiatives, Meghalaya had planned water policy three to four years ago.
“Our intention was to ensure that sustainable development does not affect ecology and environment. Our slogan was that sustainable action should strengthen ecology”, he said.
Mukul added that livelihood initiatives should not degrade environment and hence the previous government took up varied positive initiatives to have an approach which will protect environment and at the same time, the policies do not disturb the livelihood of people.