Editor,
The article by HH Mohrmen “Functional ULB for towns and cities in Meghalaya” (ST April 11, 2022) should serve as a severe reprimand to all those so called “upholders of tradition and protection of tribal interests,” who have for the last 50 years held hostage the effective functioning of the Municipality in their respective areas, be it Shillong or Jowai. Yes there is strong opposition to holding of Municipal elections in Shillong and this is based primarily on the assumption that (1) elections to these local urban bodies, if held, will result in non-tribals outnumbering indigenous members in the Board and thereby tilt the balance of the Municipality in favour of the non tribal (2) that the present Municipal Act is just a copy-paste version of the Assam Municipal Act. We need a Municipal Act of our own ( Ka Municipal Act la ka jong) that will ensure the continued existence of our local durbars. (3) Municipal elections will introduce party politics in the neutral Traditional Dorbars.
This letter today is basically due to the concerns most of us have over the crumbling ancient civic infrastructure that is the main cause for most of our urban misery be it traffic jams, choked footpaths, collapsing drinking water system, blocked drains, recent flooding of our localities during the monsoons or the alarming rise of slums in formerly pristine residential areas. Citizens blame the Government and look towards the Dorbars for relief. Fact is, neither is actually mandated to deal with the problem which in other developed urban areas is looked after by an elected Municipal Board. So we need to really look at the opposition to Municipal elections and see if they are actually valid; are realistic or just the result of an obstinate mindset that is incapable of handling change. Opposition to any Government proposal has always been the forte of the pressure groups, the District Councils and the Durbars. No issues, but the problem arises when we know only how to oppose without coming out with any alternative suggestions. Let’s see if we can make some positive criticism to opposition on Shillong Municipal Elections.
First lets deal with the fear of non-tribal dominance. Shillong Municipality has 27 seats to its Board. 22 of these seats are reserved seats, meaning only local tribals are eligible to contest civic elections to these seats. That leaves the non-tribals with 5 seats only. So the fear on this score is nonsensical and illogical. It is fake news. Next, lets deal with the demand for a Municipal Act of our own. The mandate of any Municipality be it that of Moscow, New York or Mumbai is the same – to provide effective urban governance and civic service to the citizens. This mandate remains the same for Shillong or Dispur so the demand for a Municipal Act of our own makes no sense. But yes we need a revised Municipal Act. We need an elected representative of the people at the Municipal Board level who will not equate himself as another MLA or MDC without any qualms to squash and diminish the Traditional Durbars. We need such a representative who is empathetic to the sentiments of the local traditions while at the same time providing urban service which we at present lack. This can easily be done with simple tweaking of the existing Act. I have such a plan and will be most willing to present it to those so interested.
Last but not least is the fear of party politics compromising the traditional character of the Local Durbar. I believe that Government through the Urban Affairs Dept has already dealt with this through a notification that Municipal Elections will be non-political in nature. So this threat has already been eliminated. Frankly I see no hindrance to holding civic polls for Shillong where the Dorbars entity and articles of faith are not disturbed. I fully agree with Mr Mohrmen that the need of the hour is for a functional ULB for every town and city especially our capital Shillong. So let’s do it as there is really no factual danger in doing so.
Yours etc.,
Toki Blah,
Via email
Neglected Jowai Town
Editor,
Jowai Town the Headquarter of the erstwhile Jaintia Hills District which at present is the Headquarter of the West Jaintia Hills District, at the beginning of our State Meghalaya in 1972 was a very small town with only few problems. As time passed the town has expanded and the number of houses and big buildings constructed by the original residents of Jowai as well as by the people from other parts of the state has only grown. The population has also increased by leaps and bounds due to the migration of people from the rural areas. With the extension of the town, the problems have also piled up. When we see this problem which remains unsolved, we as the residents of Jowai feel very neglected.
The major problem now is water scarcity. There is water shortage and insufficient supply of water to the houses and buildings of Jowai. The residents of Jowai who can afford to buy water do so while those who cannot, suffer and have to bring water from faraway places. As a citizen, I have observed that the people of Jowai have no water to wash their clothes and they go down to the river Myntdu. This practice of washing clothes in the river on a large scale pollutes the river Myntdu which supplies drinking water to Jowai. We cannot blame the people as they have no other alternative. The supply of water to the residents of Jowai by the PHE department is lopsided. Some houses receive water 24 hours daily while some only 20 minutes per day. How and why does this happen? The slogan ‘save water’ has no meaning in Jowai. Moreover, there is leakage of water from water pipes in all localities of the town. We as citizens request the PHE Department in Jowai to inspect and confirm whether our observation and remarks are genuine.
The people of Jaintia Hills having their businesses at Jowai have no place to sell their goods and materials. They use the footpath at Iawmusiang as their selling place. The old Iawmusiang market building which has been dismantled so that a new one is constructed in its place has not been completed after so many years. The Jaintia Hills Authomous District Council has lost crores of rupees as revenue. What is this? We depend on the market for our economy but there is no help whatsoever. We feel very much neglected as citizens.
During my childhood Jowai was a clean town. Now the town is littered with piles of garbage. The problem of waste disposal and garbage management remains unsolved. When we will see a clean Jowai only time will tell.
The proposal for establishing a mini secretariat at the old PWD building at Ladthalaboh, Jowai is still a distant dream. The promise is like building castles in the air.
As a citizen of Jowai we have borne our problems with much patience but there is limit. It is time for us to voice our problems collectively and unitedly otherwise we are accountable to the next generation if we do nothing.
Yours etc.,
Treiowell W. Blah
Senior Citizen of Jowai
Former Director Education, Government of Meghalaya.