SHILLONG, July 18: Against the backdrop of the recent HNLC attack at Khliehriat Police Reserve, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Saleng Sangma has said that the state government must ensure that prevailing situation in the once militancy-ravaged Garo Hills region is sustained even as he suggested it to come up with lucrative programmes for youths and surrendered insurgents.
Maintaining that Chief Minister Conrad Sangma is trying to help the entrepreneurs grow through grants, the Gambegre MLA said that the industry is not even issuing whatever has been approved by the single-window agency.
“There are few lacunae and loopholes which need to be addressed seriously. We have already discussed about it during the MDA meeting it is quite right also as we cannot guarantee upon a situation,” he said in reaction to the statement of the Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma that the MDA’s inability to understand the complexity of the issue of militancy could have an unpleasant fallout. “To bring peace and keep the peace sustained our youths are of prime importance as they are the backbone and if there are any issues it should be immediately sorted and some kind of avenues may be provided so that they can be transformed into a workforce that drives the state towards prosperity,” Saleng maintained.
Recalling that during the tenure of Mukul Sangma as the chief minister many programmes were initiated, the NCP chief, however, said that what has become of those and the beneficiaries is unknown.
Pointing out that YouTubers have come up with videos of beautiful places from remote corners of Garo Hills, he said: “Through these videos we understand that maximum areas are safe. Especially in East Garo Hills, they are living without tension and houses are coming up in the jungles as well where before they had to live in fear”. “There is a need to sustain this and the government has to come out with programme so that the youths and those surrendered will not go back. Rightly said by Dr Mukul those surrendered have to be addressed and if there are any issues it needs to be taken care of. Agreement made with them should be in place,” he added.
Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma had earlier slammed the NPP-led government for ‘favouritism and manipulation’ of tenders to benefit a few and depriving all those who eyed the ‘spaces of opportunity’.
