NGOs refute allegation of political agenda in protest
TURA: Combined organisations from Jengjal including the GSU, FKJGP, ADE, AYWO, AHAM, GSMC and AAYF, on Sunday, came down heavily on the president of the NPP Block Executive Committee from Dadenggre, WN Sangma for clarifying on the shifting of the proposed construction of the Farmers’ Market in the area from the original chosen site.
The proposed project comes under Community and Rural Development (C&RD) department.
The organisations which came together under the banner of the All Jengjal Combined NGOs said that terming their protest against the shifting of the proposed project as a political move by Sangma was baseless.
“In 2019, the concerned department had visited the proposed site for the construction of the (farmers’) market for inspection in the presence of the public and Nokma and was quite happy with the land for the proposed project. But without any reason, how and why, all of a sudden the proposed project had to be shifted to the land belonging to our local MLA? When the department had approved the previous site after due inspection how can you say that the previous land was not enough for the construction of the market?” the organisations said.
The organisations also questioned how Sangma was giving the clarification when they were protesting the shifting of the project location by the department concerned and not by the NPP and said that it was he who was playing politics.
“You have the right to issue a clarification on behalf of your party if we are against it but not in this issue. If a clarification is to be issued, it should come from the concerned department. How can you say that the land was not enough when you have nothing to do with it?” the organisations said.
“We do not know what prompted the department to shift the site of construction to the land owned by the local MLA (James). But the move has irked the public and we will not rest until the project is implemented in the original site chosen by the department,” the organisations warned.
