SHILLONG, March 20: Governor Phagu Chauhan on Monday said the state government is committed to resolving the remaining six areas of difference to end the long-standing boundary dispute between Meghalaya and Assam.
“Based on the reports of the three regional committees, an MoU was signed on the first six areas of differences between the states of Meghalaya and Assam in presence of Union Home Minister, Amit Shah. This is imperative to ensure that our citizens in the bordering areas are not denied access to peace and development,” he said while delivering his customary address in Hindi during the first day of the Assembly budget session here.
The Governor said that the state government has constituted a judicial commission of inquiry into the Mukroh incident and is committed to ensuring justice for the victims and their families.
Chauhan also said seven border outposts have been notified to ensure the protection of Meghalaya’s residents in the border areas.
The Governor termed as historic the HNLC’s willingness for unconditional talks within the ambit of the Constitution of India.
He further said the peace talks have started, and the state government is committed to ensuring that the discussions are concluded at the earliest. “We are also thankful to the government of India for their support,” he added.
According to Chauhan, apart from maintaining law and order, the Meghalaya Police have focussed on improving the investigation of cases. This led to the rate of filing chargesheets increasing from 32.2% in 2021 to 39.76% in 2022.
He also said the state police have made great strides and are working on a war footing against drugs.
“The overall seizures have gone up considerably with contraband worth Rs 71 crore and cash amount of Rs 60 lakh being recovered since 2022,” he stated.
The Governor said the government has taken a multi-pronged approach to decongest Shillong. Some 30 buses have been procured and a shared school bus system is being introduced at a cost of Rs 10 crore, he pointed out.
“It is estimated that approximately 450 cars shall be removed from the street with this system during peak hours resulting in saving considerable time and cost. The government has also prioritized increasing the road network capacity, including the creation of several new roads to decongest Shillong,” he said.
Chauhan also said the government has acquired about 807 acres of land in Mawpdang-Mawkhanu to expand the New Shillong Township. This will ease the burden on the existing city centre and ensure sustainable urbanisation.
He said under the Smart City programme, several projects are being implemented in Shillong. The reconstruction of the Laitumkhrah market, Polo Commercial Complex, smart roads, Integrated Control and Command Centre, and an automatic car parking facility at Motphran are progressing well, he added.
The Governor underlined the importance of the creation of infrastructure for waste management.
“The construction of the faecal sludge and septage treatment plant at Jowai and the solid waste management plant at Khliehriat is in progress. Land acquisition for a landfill site at Tura has been completed and land acquisition for landfills for Shillong, Jowai and Williamnagar is under process,” he said.
The Governor said livestock production has been an integral part of rural livelihoods in the state. He said the government had launched the piggery and milk missions to make the state self-sufficient in pork and milk production.
He informed the House that 413 cooperative societies have availed support amounting to about Rs 80 crore to set up pig breeding units and fattening units under the Piggery Mission.
“Under the PROGRESS programme, 74,000 piglets were distributed to the poor farmers to promote piggery and create alternate rural livelihoods,” the Governor said.
He also said the state has been implementing the Megha Health Insurance Scheme successfully in order to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for medical treatment.
He said the scheme now provides insurance coverage of up to Rs 5.3 lakh per family. The successful implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and Megha Health Insurance Scheme helped Meghalaya be adjudged as the best-performing state under these schemes.
