SHILLONG, March 5: Governor, Satya Pal Malik said the state government remains committed to effectively contain illegal migration, trans-border movement and activities of militants and anti-national elements.
Addressing the Assembly on the first day of Budget Session on Friday, he said peace, safety and security are the pre-requisites for development. He said the overall law and order situation in the state remained peaceful last year.
He said there were agitations, spearheaded by NGOs, demanding the implementation of Inner Line Permit and repeal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act but those were effectively dealt with by the government.
According to him, the law and order situation along the Assam-Meghalaya border is by and large normal. He said issues were amicably resolved by the local administration and police who have been in regular touch with their Assam counterparts.
Malik told the House that 329.7 km of the 444.8 km of Meghalaya-Bangladesh border had been fenced.
“The state is committed to complete the remaining fencing work expeditiously,” he said.
The Governor further said the government is particularly focused on enhancing service delivery in health and education sectors and making larger investments in physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, power and drinking water supply.
“Another critical focus is on improving rural livelihoods and promoting enterprises through mission-mode interventions in sectors such as agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and animal husbandry,” he said.
Malik said the North Eastern Council has sanctioned two projects for Meghalaya under the North East Road Sector Development Scheme during 2020-21 for improving the roads along the inter-state border with Assam at a cost of Rs 142 crore.
Stating that there are currently 37 ongoing non-lapsable central pool of resources projects with a total project cost of Rs 773.25 crore, Malik said the Ministry of DoNER has released Rs 400.86 crore for undertaking various projects. He said under the “North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme”, the DoNER Ministry has sanctioned eight projects at a total cost of Rs 186.44 crore.
He said the state government is also undertaking the “Meghalaya Integrated Transport Project”, funded by the World Bank at a cost of Rs 768 crore.
“The project will improve about 500 km of strategic road segments and standalone bridges by using innovative, climate-resilient and nature-based solutions,” the Governor said.
He said tourism is an important sector for Meghalaya which employs nearly 50, 000 people and has a huge multiplier effect.
“Consequently, the state government is prioritising tourism and the key components of tourism strategy include expanding high-value accommodation, opening new circuits in unexplored areas, up-skilling the tourism stakeholders, creating a calendar of events, including a literature festival, art festival and ballooning festival; and development of new tourism products like glamping and caravans,” Malik said.
According to him, an externally-aided project, funded by the New Development Bank, has been approved for the same.
Malik said the project would help the state harness its growth potential for high-value tourism and agriculture. It will also enable the state to take advantage of its strategic location to emerge as a major connecting hub for trade with neighbouring countries, he said.
The Governor said the state government has advanced the target by two years to provide “functional household tap connection” to every rural household by December 2022.
He said a pilot project on treatment of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) by using locally-available limestone has been completed. He said the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad is developing a technology for treating AMD-generated from coal mines.
Another pilot project on the restoration of streams, affected by acidic water in East Jaintia Hills district, is under implementation and showing promising results. Efforts will be made for the reclamation of coal mining- affected lands through afforestation works in the current year, he said.
The Governor delivered his entire speech sitting on the chair due to some knee related issues.
Assembly Snippets
r The government tabled the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Bill, 2021 in the Assembly on Friday.
r The Bill was introduced by Minister in charge of Excise, Registration, Taxation and Stamps, James Sangma.
r Chief Minister Conrad Sangma tabled the Meghalaya Local Fund (Audit) Bill, 2021 in the House.
r Education Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui tabled the Institute of Chartered Financial Analyst of India University (Amendment) Act, 2021.
r The chief minister also tabled the 38th annual report of the Meghalaya Minerals Development Corporation Limited for 2018-19 and the MTDC reports for 2017-18 and 2018-19.