KHLIEHRIAT, Feb 23: For the coal-rich Khliehriat constituency in East Jaintia Hills, the principal focus this election is coal. And why not?
Coal mining is what brought prosperity to the people here. Now that mining of coal has been stalled for the last nine years by an order of the court, the people here are crying for urgent resumption.
It is no brainer that coal barons and all those who eke out a living out of mining activities may have a major influence in the constituency.
Coal has been the mainstay of the economy of Jaintia Hills region, especially in East Jaintia Hills as people are totally dependent on coal mining for their livelihood.
Now, many of them are still struggling to find an alternative livelihood. Many of the parents are not able to send their children to schools since they are barely making ends meet.
“We are still hoping that the economy and livelihood will improve if coal mining opens again,” a resident of Lad Rymbai, Kyntiew Dait (name changed) said.
However, Khliehriat constituency this time round is heading for a straight contest between sitting MLA and UDP candidate Kyrmen Shylla and NPP candidate Nehlang Lyngdoh, who is also the former MLA.
In the 2018 Assembly polls, Shylla had bagged the Khliehriat seat by 8,181 votes . It looks difficult for the sitting UDP candidate to repeat his performance of the last Assembly going by the present trend.
The political situation in Khliehriat is a little tense in view of a very close contest between the UDP and NPP.
After reports of threats, arson and near collisions, the local administration carried out a flag march on Tuesday in the areas of Dkhiah Ladrymbai, Rymbai, lapmala and Byndihati.
The flag march was led by the Returning Officer of Khliehriat constituency with 500 Sadar and senior police officers of the district as a confidence-building measure to encourage voters to cast their vote without fear.
The election authorities had carried out the flag march after a vehicle was torched at Lad Rymbai in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the other candidates in the fray are TMC candidate Suni Bareh, VPP candidate Damewanhi Rymbai, BJP candidate Hayes Chyrmang and Congress female candidate Jhanika Siangshai.
The constituency still lacks on many fronts, especially when it comes to the basic civic amenities like water, roads, education and healthcare facilities.
The residents of Khliehriat and its surrounding villages are facing the problem of water scarcity and they are left with no option but to buy water for their daily needs.
People belonging to the lower income group, who cannot afford to buy water, are forced to walk a far distance to collect water.
Few of the residents observed that if Khliehriat town is yet to have a water supply scheme to provide potable water to its residents then the situation in other areas will be worse.
The water supply scheme for Khliehriat town, which was conceptualised 20 years back, is yet to see the light of the day.
According to the residents, distribution pipes in many areas have already been laid and work for the reservoir of the water supply scheme is completed.
“But till now it is yet to be fully completed. The delay of this water supply scheme from what we were made to understand is due to faulty implementation,” B Lyngdoh,a resident of Khliehriat, said.
The residents are also complaining that internal roads of Khliehriat have not been repaired for the past many years.
An elderly resident of Khliehriat, Richard Dkhar (name change), said that he is concerned since many of the youths are into drugs in view of the growing frustration due to lack of employment opportunities.
“We are seeing many of those who are into drug addictions are youth who are educated. I think it is due to their frustration which has landed them into this,” Dkhar said.
A schoolteacher, Jessica Dkhar, said that the area still lacks a good government educational institution till the Higher Secondary level.
“I am also concerned about the dropout of students at the school level. Many students are discontinuing their studies since parents cannot afford them to send to school,” she said.
The healthcare system is still very poor since the Khliehriat Civil Hospital is not fully equipped and it does not have the proper infrastructure.
At the moment, people now are forgetting about the issues which are afflicting them since elections are like a festival for them.
It has been observed that the majority of them are busy attending election campaigns of the candidates in various parts of the constituency.
People will start complaining and talk about the real issues for the next five years once the election is over.
A section of the residents also complained that the candidates talk about the issues only during elections.
“None of them has the roadmap or vision for the overall development of the constituency. I fear if this trend continues then we will remain the same even after 15 years,” a young student in Khliehriat, Warimeki War, observed.
During an interaction with The Shillong Times, UDP sitting MLA and Cabinet
Minister Kyrmen Shylla recalled that they have been trying hard with regard to the coal issue since it is the livelihood of the people of East Jaintia Hills district, especially Khliehriat constituency.
He said that he is confident that legal mining will again resume with the joint efforts of the government and stakeholders.
Shylla also said that the district is yet to have a government college and he will try to see that this becomes a reality if he gets another opportunity to be part of the new government to be formed after elections.
While appreciating the government for upgrading the Khliehriat CHC into a Civil Hospital, he, however, pointed out that the hospital is yet to receive all the equipment for both the treatment and testing, which will be beneficial for the patients.
Shylla also highlighted that there is a need for a proper sports infrastructure like football artificial turf in East Jaintia Hills for nurturing the talented youth in the field of sports.
Shylla also said that there is a need to set up a Land Custom Station either in Kuliang and Umkiang to open trading activities between Bangladesh and India as this will boost the economy of not only the district but even the state as a whole.
He hopes that he will manage to come back due to the love of the people of the constituency.
When asked about his achievements in the past five years, the UDP sitting MLA said that there are so many road projects which he has brought in the past five years.
Meanwhile, the NPP candidate assured that he will continue his service for the people of the constituency, which he had done in his two terms as an MLA between 2003 to 2013.
He reminded that during his tenure, he had managed to bring three major road projects which include 48-km project connecting Lad Rymbai to Borghat, 60-km road project connecting Borghat to Sonapur and 94-km road project connecting Malidor to Sohshrieh.
“I have done a lot of things for the welfare of the people and for the overall development of the constituency during ten years’ tenure,” Lyngdoh, who is a man of few words, said.
He further said that he will try to bring various initiatives for the development of the tourism sector and also many more road projects connecting the different villages of the constituency if people again elected him.