SHILLONG, Jan 28: The five-year term of the MDA government is coming to an end but the pressing issues of the state remain.
The Inner Line Permit (ILP) continues to elude the state even after the state Assembly unanimously passed a resolution in 2019, urging the Centre to implement it in the state.
The MDA government followed it up by meeting Union ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah. Three years have elapsed since the resolution was passed but the Narendra Modi government has not committed anything so far.
Another demand is the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on September 27, 2018, for the recognition of the two languages. There is no word from the Centre on the demand.
As far as resolving the Assam-Meghalaya border dispute is concerned, the two states signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) towards solving the problem in six of the 12 friction points. However, the agreement met with opposition. Some people moved the High Court of Meghalaya challenging the MoU.
A few months ago, the state government had started the process of holding discussions on the remaining six “complicated” areas but it hit roadblocks after the incident of firing by the Assam police and forest guards at the Mukroh village which led to the deaths of five villagers.
The MDA also could not resolve the long-pending issue of relocation of the settlers of Harijan Colony in Shillong. After clashes broke out in 2018, the government had formed the High-Level Committee (HLC) towards solving the issue.
The HLC suggested the relocation of 342 families to the quarters of the Shillong Municipal Board. Later, the government reached out to the residents with a blueprint on relocation but they are yet to make their stand clear.
The illegal mining and transportation of coal was a major issue in the 2018 Assembly elections. Many parties had promised to work towards lifting the ban on coal mining. Scientific coal mining has not started yet.
Recently, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had said the state is one step away from starting scientific mining.
