TURA, Feb 13: Peeved at the dearth of a deputy commissioner in South Garo Hills since December 2020, the Garo Students’ Union (GSU) has moved Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, beseeching the latter to appoint the same at the earliest.
In a letter to the chief minister, the GSU bemoaned that the district has been deprived of a full-fledged deputy commissioner ever since former DC Hubert B Marak’s retirement.
The Union said the district, ever since Marak’s retirement, is being supervised by Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mary T Sangma.
The GSU further accentuated the need of a full-fledged DC by maintaing that South Garo Hills is a sensitive district as it shares its border with Bangladesh.
“Due to its long, porous border with Bangladesh, there are frequent cases of cattle and coal smuggling and movement of underground outfits,” the GSU maintained.
“The border district also has problems of cattle lifting and smuggling of stolen vehicles, particularly two-wheelers, across the international border by criminal gangs,” it added.
The students’ body asserted that due to poor infrastructure, police and BSF personnel are unable to man the entire district. “The problem is further aggravated due to the absence of an able administrator,” the Union rued.
Giving a February-end deadline to the state government, the GSU said, “Government must take a decision and appoint an IAS officer as the district head so that positive decisions can be taken with lightning speed, which will benefit the district”.