A flurry of inaugurations ranging from an incomplete stadium in Tura to a health centre in the distant periphery of South West Khasi Hills raises questions about the timing. Why now, at the fag end of the MDA Government’s tenure in office? Isn’t it prudent to have started these projects on time so that they see the light of day during this Government’s term of office rather than to use these inaugurations as an allurement? Health centres are imperative in areas where there are no roads or the roads are eaten up by corruption, because ferrying patients to CHCs and Civil Hospitals located in district headquarters is a traumatic experience. So far there is no count of how many patients have died on the way to a health centre, more so of women in labour. This is a study that must be conducted by the State Government if the aim is better outreach and not a cover-up for poor governance. No matter how small the population in a village is, a health sub-centre is a must for people are too poor to travel from places with no public transport to reach a health centre.
In 50 years, Meghalaya has not set its priorities right. Development is unplanned because the Planning Board is largely dysfunctional and packed with political hangers-on. In fact, the Planning Board should be dismantled because it has become a white elephant. So too the other non-func tional Boards and Councils such as the Employment Generation Council and similar defunct bodies which simply gobble up meagre resources. In a small state like Meghalaya the priority should have been health, connectivity and education. Alongside, employment generation and boosting agricultural and horticultural outputs should also have been given a solid foundation. Today Meghalaya is performing poorly on the health, education and road communications front. A state that boasted that it could produce 3000 MW of power to supply to Bangladesh is today power-starved.
Unfortunately, none of these issues that are critical to human development are being discussed before the 2023 elections. There is too much noise and cacophony of advertisements and hoardings that make tall claims that the present Government is constructing 2.2 KMs roads daily even when the roads are not in sight. Such an election blitzkrieg by a ruling government has never been witnessed before. The noise and tall claims are intended to divert people’s attention from mal-governance and scams that have rocked the MDA Government. Some road projects inaugurated two years ago to connect rural villages to the nearest station where they can bring their farm produce are still hanging fire. So why lie to people by inaugurating projects that the Government has no intention of completing? These are issues that need deliberation between now and polling day whenever that is. The MDA Government must give its 5-year report card to the people.
