Editor,
So finally the cat is out of the bag ! It was long suspected but it was spoken in Chinese whispers as it relates to abetment of and indulgence in corrupt practices by officers of All India Services occupying senior policy making desks in the Meghalaya Secretariat. The above observation is based on the Shillong Times news report Dated April 6, 2022 and splashed in the front page of the paper with the title “Abode of clouds appears to be abode of anarchy”. So a long suspected secret of corrupt, weak-kneed and obliging a..e licking officers working in tandem with unscrupulous politicians has finally come out in the open. Let’s discuss how this happened with regards to the news report mentioned above.
A full Bench of the Meghalaya High Court made its pronouncement on a PIL filed by a concerned citizen that ‘the abode of the clouds appears to be an abode of anarchy and quite alarmingly it may be state sponsored’. The news report further goes on about an amendment to the Meghalaya Minor Minerals Concession Rules in 2018, wherein the word “Incidentally” was included. It now appears that this word was intentionally and surreptitiously inserted with the whole intention of subverting the law and to assist the illegal mining of minor mineral including limestone, boulders and river sand despite Supreme Court and NGT rulings to the contrary. It is no secret that the above rules were amended by the Forest Department and the Secretary in charge of the department in that period must have cleared insertion of such operationally damaging words. The devastation to large swathes of environmentally fragile land because of illegal mining is to be seen to be believed and all this was possible because the ‘Kotwal’ mandated to guard the environment decided to become the ‘Chor’ responsible for looting the environmental wealth of our state.
The High Court has made this amply clear by observing that there is executive complicity in the matter. It is the ardent request of this writer to the Meghalaya Govt and the Chief Secretary, who has now been directed by the court to check such ‘Incidental’ looting of the state, to not cover up the matter since it does involve an All India Service officer and perhaps some senior politicians. As citizens we the people of the state would be highly obliged to the Chief Secretary if she will help expose this criminal nexus between politicians and officers. We have to name and shame in cases of corruption in Government. It will be a public service she will be remembered for.
The above news writeup speaks of Meghalaya as an ‘abode of anarchy’. There is another one in the making right before the eyes of the Transport Department but one which this Department is yet to take action on. I speak of the outrageous charges by local taxis on incoming passengers arriving at the ISBT, Mawiong for onward transit to the city. Local taxis charge Rs 40 per passenger of a shared taxi, one in front and three in the back, from Mawiong to Motphran. This comes to a total of Rs 160 but the same taxi will charge Rs 300 from ISBT Mawiong to Motphran. Why this discriminating overcharge of Rs 140 for ISBT passengers from the same embarking point to the same disembarking point? It is not understood. Now this again is sheer looting of ordinary citizens. I demand that the Transport Department wake up and take remedial action on the matter. I hope that this too is not a state-sponsored extortion by opportunistic taxis done under similar “Incidental” authorization by the babus of the transport department for we have had enough of anarchy perpetrated by the state itself.
Yours etc.,
Johnny Syiemlieh,
Via email
The Clarion Call
Editor,
Apropos of the letter, “Meghalayans gear yourselves up for a revolution,” by G. Lyngdoh Mawlong, (ST April 6, 2022) let us all wake up to the revolution. Every day we read in the newspapers and have seen with our own eyes that the time is ripe for a public revolt. By revolution, it does not mean that we go to the streets to burn effigies of politicians or tyres. Each one of us who has a concern for Meghalaya has a great responsibility to go to the electorates to discuss strategies on how to select the representatives who sincerely wish to serve the state and its people. These committed souls as we all know have no money to bribe the voters.
We live in a world where the mantle to lead a state or the country has gone into the wrong hands – the coal barons and those parties that shout from the rooftops that they are lovers of the ‘Jaidbynriew.’ One example is enough. Look at the flawed reservation policy that had devastated our Khasi and Jaintia students and unemployed youth. This motion when taken up in the Assembly for corrective action was defeated by voice vote, without even a discussion. And the most painful fact is that the HSPDP and UDP did not help. God help us if these same politicians return in 2023. Do they have an ounce of shame to still continue to preach their love for their people?
The revolution should follow a democratic process. Sadly, Dr Ambedkar who is credited to be the architect of the Indian Constitution never thought that election to the State Assembly or Parliament would involve crores of rupees, attainable only by coal barons (a milder form for mafia) and corporates. Each of us have a responsibility to guide the electorate and tell them only 2 points.(1)Those rich candidates who will help you once in five years with your children’s school fees; hospital fees, new books or hand you lakhs of rupees to clear debts will take back all the money by not building roads where needed; not providing drinking water; not paying salaries to your kids’ teachers etc. (2) A week before the polling day they will come all out with freebies like a quintal of rice or 50 kg of sugar etc. The electorate must be counselled not to accept these freebies but instead teach these politicians a lesson not to be forgotten.
A revolution needs eyes and ears. Sniffer dogs are good canvassers for they always smell a rat at any cunning and witty plan of this MDA Government that so far shows it is corporate centric. The MDA is in league with persons owning cement plants, steel plants and is now ready to sell off the red buses to the lowest bidder as scrap since these maxi taxis and long buses are taking space by the roadside where they are parked after having been abandoned by an apathetic government.
Yours etc.,
J. Kharmih
Via email