The State of Meghalaya is facing several crises. The ongoing strike by commercial transport owners has reached the 13th day with no solution in sight. The strike called by the Meghalaya Joint Action Committee of Commercial Vehicles (MJACCV) since February 3 last was to protest the hike in fuel prices which has added to the burden of commercial vehicles owners since the Government was not giving the transport operators a free hand to decide the fares. The MJACCV on Sunday called on all private vehicles also to stay off the road. Large parts of Meghalaya are severely crippled by this strike, particularly the city of Shillong which saw near empty roads and students trudging to their respective schools with great difficulty as some also have to write their exams. The Meghalaya Government brought down the petrol cess by Rs 2 which the vehicle owners found preposterous. To add to this woe is the seven hour load shedding at different timings of the day. What has angered the public is the 9 am -12 noon shutdown because that is a critical time for students and teachers doing online classes or webinars; professionals who are working from home and home makers for whom that is a time for cooking and preparing meals for the family.
The Chief Minister had spent nearly a week in Delhi hobnobbing with the central ministers to solicit funds for a cash-strapped Meghalaya. From Delhi the Chief Minister took off for Arunachal Pradesh – all this while the people of Meghalaya are facing multiple problems. Several other ministers also accompanied the Chief Minister to Delhi. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has virtually divided Meghalaya into Khasi-Jaintia and Garo Hills and has clearly marked out the responsibilities to be handled by him and his deputy Prestone Tynsong. Is this why the Constitution has earmarked the post of Chief Minister? The post of Deputy Chief Minister is not mentioned in the Constitution and is as such unconstitutional and does not bestow on the person the powers of the Chief Minister. The buck for everything that happens in Meghalaya on a daily basis has to stop at the Chief Minister’s doorstep. The Chief Minister is accountable to the people of Meghalaya for how he runs the Government; not his deputy.
The stalemate with the MJACCV continues because the Deputy Chief Minister’s attitude is uncompromising when dialogue is what is necessary to resolve all and every issue in a democracy. The fact that private vehicles too are wary of taking to the roads for fear of untoward incidents as has happened in the past whenever a strike is called by any group/s, has compounded the woes of the citizens here in Meghalaya, including tourists and visitors to the State. Will the Chief Minister stay put in Meghalaya and resolve the power and transport crises?
