SHILLONG, May 25: No minister is ready to take responsibility for the series of slipshod works execution of infrastructure that has rocked the state.
On Tuesday Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma himself declined to own moral responsibility over the dome fiasco and step down from his post while on Wednesday the PWD (Buildings) Minister followed suit.
While the CM had categorically asserted that he would leave it to his partners in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance to take a call on his fate, Dasakhiatbha Lamare gave a nonchalant shrug when a query was made on the demand for his resignation.
Wednesday however saw the chief minister in a different avatar as he issued a stern warning to the whining State BJP which has been demanding his resignation over the collapse of the dome of the Assembly building.
Sangma made it crystal clear that if the State BJP was unhappy, the party high command was free to send a message that they do not want to support the MDA Government anymore.
“As long as the BJP leadership does not write to us I do not think I need to react on comments made by some individuals,” he said.
The chief minister’s comment against the BJP has brought to the fore the widening fissure between the NPP and the saffron party which has fired a volley of shots at the ruling dispensation over various scandals like illegal coal mining and transportation, rampant corruption in the MeECL and the power sector and a host of ailments afflicting most government departments.
‘Ongoing projects being monitored’
The CM disclosed that implementation of various projects in the state was being monitored both at the level of the Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
“There is a committee that was put up earlier to see to all project deemed as important for the 50th Statehood celebrations. The committee reviews things and reports to me,” Sangma said.
“Apart from that even at the CM Secretariat level there are multiple review committees,” he added.
The CM was reacting to Leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma’s demand for an independent quality monitoring agency to be put in place to monitor all projects implemented by the NPP-led government.
Meanwhile, when pointed out that the name of the company implementing the Assembly project has featured in the CBI inquiry, the CM said, “I am not aware of that but I will definitely find out.”
He continued: “Inquiry has happened but if somebody is convicted and somebody is found to be guilty than it is a different issue; but to judge and say that a person is guilty before even the final report comes out will be unfair.”