Editor,
In December 2014, Justice SR Sen, since retired had ruled that the Dorbar Shnong must function according to laid down procedures which should have the sanction of the State Government. Since the Dorbar Shnong operate within the ambit of the District Councils, the ADCs are supposed to come up with the Village Administration Bill (VAB) so that the Dorbars function within the laid down framework and do not overstep their brief. Since that time the Dorbars have forfeited their right to give no-objection certificates to those applying for electricity connection or for opening of bank accounts etc. It is unfortunate that the VAB initiated by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has been hanging fire since 2014. In the interim most Dorbar Shnong continue to function in a vacuum.
But what interests me is the response of the Dorbar Shnong Mawkhar to a letter to the editor titled, “Oppressive Attitude” (ST Dec 16, 2020) written by some students who possibly live within the vicinity of the Rangbah Shnong’s house. The students are irked by the noise emanating from the Rangbah Shnong’s bakery where the workers create nuisance and use foul language. The letter should have been seen as an opportunity to correct the wrongdoing in the bakery. Instead the Rangbah Shnong has used his office to literally summon the complainant/s for daring to write to the media and complaining about the noise that is affecting their online classes. The Dorbar went as far as to intimidate the students, that if they do not appear before it on the stipulated date then it would find out their identities and deal with them. This is not the way that a democratic country functions. The public have a right to go to the media to address their grievances and no one has the right to take action against any person who tries to seek redressal of a wrong.
Noise pollution is also a violation of the environmental norms and the Rangbah Shnong should know this better than anyone else. In fact, leaders of any institution have to be more circumspect than others because they are expected to lead the way. I am appalled that the Dorbar instead of taking corrective measures is seeking to punish those who are complaining against a wrongdoing. This is like saying that no one has a right to point fingers at the Rangbah Shnong or any of the executive members because they are beyond any reproach. This is a very wrong precedence. What the Rangbah Shnong does in his personal capacity should not be the brief of the Shnong.
This is where the Dorbar Shnongs tend to go wrong. They think they are the law unto themselves, but that’s not the case. They too are subject to the same laws as all of us are. We are all guided by the Indian Constitution.
Yours etc.,
Isaac Pyngrope,
Via email
Daylight corruption in Meghalaya
Editor,
I am sure many of us hear stories of bribery and corruption at various levels of the state department offices / politicians. These rumours prove to be true when one is actually witnessing firsthand the acts of corruption of the so called respected sirs / babus / auditors / police / directors / engineers / officers and many more. Alas! many of us are not aware on how to report such crimes committed by these people with no conscience except to gain temporary financial blessings. And many of us who are aware on how to report the crimes are simply put off by the long and cumbersome process of reporting such crimes.
In today’s age, everything is becoming more accessible with the help of the internet, and it’s where we can get almost everything at the click of a button. I strongly suggest that the State Anti-Corruption Branch / State Vigilance Commission should come up with a very user friendly app where a lay person who wishes to report corruption / bribe-taking anonymously, can do so. Only that can ensure that we have a corruption free Meghalaya for our children to live in.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke
Yours etc.
- Khyriem
Via email