Patricia Mukhim
Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong who is the virtual Chief Minister of Khasi Hills is constantly in the news to bail out his government. In case people wonder why I have only named Khasi Hills, it is because Sniawbhalang Dhar is Chief Minister of Jaintia Hills and Conrad Sangma of Garo Hills. Responsibilities in this government have been divided very astutely although I dare say that Sniawbhalang Dhar exercises his clout across the state because in Meghalaya “Money Talks.” No wonder everyone is in the race to get rich quick. And guess what’s the route to that cherished goal? You guessed it right! It’s politics and more politics. Look at the wealth ranking of some of the MLAs today who started off as indigents some decades ago. Did we ever ask where they accumulated so much wealth and how they can afford to own so many properties in Shillong City and that in the prime addresses of the capital? Forget the Khasi-Jaintia MLAs; even politicians from Garo Hills are making a beeline to own prime space in this overcrowded city.
These skilful practitioners of politics hold on to their seats by parading goodwill and bonhomie with their constituents, most of whom are so poor that even a one-time help of Rs 5000-10,000 during an emergency makes them indebted to the MLA forever. And then we Khasis use the catchphrase, “Uto te um rem shuh,” (He will never lose the elections). Now the yardstick for passing such comments is not because the MLA looks after the constituency such as repairing the potholes, ensuring constant water and power supply; street lighting, helping in repair and maintenance of schools and playgrounds within the constituency and ensuring that schemes are implemented in a time bound manner, but, because he/she pays money to impoverished constituents. A vigilant public would demand a blow by blow account of the money spent vide the MLA scheme. Alas! The public of Meghalaya spends more time on social media than on making things happen on the ground.
The politician who until yesterday lived a hand to mouth existence is today a man of expansive tastes. He spends more time building his own personal wealth than in legislation. The Assembly notably referred to as the ‘August House’ has only become a debating platform where questions are asked and answers provided with no follow-up thereafter. Knowing that the TV cameras are focussed on them, most MLAs act their parts like seasoned dramatists, some even playing weird roles that go beyond their legislative mandates.
If we are to measure the achievements of the MDA Government we will find that it spends more time fire-fighting than actually thinking out people-oriented policies. And while the English language savvy CM can spin yarns about this scheme and that and how it will help the public cause, we never really see in him any glimpse of consistency. He has spoken ad nauseum about river cleaning and even mentioned that some firms from outside would come in to help the state in this onerous task but such statements remain a media sensation for a day. That’s it! But the CM gets away because when he addresses the media there’s no one to put ask him hard questions on the promises made since 2018. Since we in the media have turned stenographers taking down copious notes or recording speeches in bombastic language, there is no way of cross-questioning the glib talking CM.
Then comes the Deputy CM with his own brand of grandiose claims and unending shenanigans that he used to beat up non-tribals in 1979. The disingenousness of his statement is breathtaking. On closer look the statement has the stench of tall claims because the Dy CM needed a metaphor for a ‘change of heart.’ But such claims coming as they do at this juncture when he holds a lofty position are indeed troubling. How do we know in which direction his innate violence is channelled towards? Might it not be that he now uses other discriminatory tactics against people he used to once beat up because he is today in a position to do so? But the fact of the matter is that the more the Dy CM speaks the deeper he puts his foot into his mouth. So much so that memes and videos of him follow every press conference. Prestone Tynsong is a poor replica of BB Lyngdoh who was an astute statesman and held his own in very tough and challenging circumstances when Shillong was a tinder box of violence. Now we have someone who skirts difficult questions and trivialises everything. But why do we wonder? This is the depth to which politics in this state has plumbed. And we have ourselves to blame for electing people whose only qualifications are to serve their own constituents – the state be damned.
Today we are at a juncture when statements from the Government can no longer be taken at face value. The power cut flip-flop is taxing our patience. Now Power Grid Corporation Ltd (PGCL) will regulate power supply from April 14 because of non-payment of dues. The fire-fighting and the bravado are not working. A long term Power Policy is long overdue. And those groups that are against privatisation had better come up with a fool-proof revenue model on how the MeECL is to be run and where the huge outstandings can be paid from. It’s easy to take a Leftist position that you cannot privatise a PSU. People who hold such views should also protest the impending privatisation of Air India and several other loss-making PSUs. Delhi does not have the money to keep pumping into a black hole called the MeECL. And we need power; we really don’t care who the power supplier is. Above all, we as citizens cannot support a failed institution that is badly managed, is steeped in corruption and is above all, a big and bulky white elephant that reeks of inefficiency.
It is peculiar to India that a matter that should be decided and settled on the basis of economic viability and business criteria becomes a political issue. Some years ago a senior bureaucrat who headed the MeECL as its Chairman and Managing Director, apparently engaged several contractual employees who could not be retrenched today. This weight is being borne by the MeECL as if it is an employment agency and not a power production and distribution company. The MeECL should have been severed from Government control and should have been run by professionals.
I was checking the profiles of Chairpersons and Managing Directors of the some power producing companies and all of them have professionals at the helm. The CMD of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Gurdeep Singh, is a Mechanical Engineer with over three decades of experience in the power generation sector. He started his career with NTPC Limited and has worked at various levels both in Indian and Multi-national Companies namely Powergen, CLP, IDFC, CESC and AES. He has worked in different areas of the Power Sector ranging from business development, projects and operations. Prior to joining NTPC, Singh was Managing Director, Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited.
VK Singh the CMD NEEPCo since 2019 has a background of over 36 years in Hydro, Gas Based and Solar Power generation starting from feasibility studies to sizing, selection, design & engineering, construction, project management, operation & maintenance. His forte lies in hydro power development chain viz. contracts, commercials and business development apart from in-depth understanding of emerging policy and regulatory issues of the power sector as a whole. He has wide international exposure in the power sector and has been trained/worked at various international facilities of global power equipment giants like GEC Alsthom, ANDRITZ HYDRO and SIEMENS T&D in France and Austria.
This informs us that generalist bureaucrats who had been heading the MeSEB and later the MeECL don’t bring with them the qualifications needed to run the Corporation in a businesslike manner and to develop a sustainable business model for it. Also they cannot cross swords with politicians who have used the Board and later the Corporation as their milking cow. Sadly, no one has stopped them in their tracks. Now that the shit has hit the ceiling one hopes that hard decisions will be taken without giving in to all kinds of mushy sentiments from people who have sucked the MeECL dry. And we can do without further lying on this score. Tell us what we need to know but not in instalments. Enough is enough. The Dy CM and the Power Minister both have lost credibility. They should now just shut up and stop the lying.