Shillong, May 1: National People’s Party (NPP) Chief and Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma today highlighted the efforts put in by his government so far to open up coal mining activities which had been under a ban impose by National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The chief minister was addressing a campaign rally for Samlin Malngiang, the party candidate for the forthcoming by-election to Sohiong Assembly constituency. During his address, Sangma touched upon various issues, including the mining industry, infrastructure development, education, healthcare and political hypocrisy and assured the voters to make Sohiong a model constituency if the NPP candidate emerged winner in the bypoll.
The CM stated that the Supreme Court lifted the ban after the state government had filed a case in 2019 and asked the Government of Meghalaya and India to work on different mining plans and leases to allow scientific mining.
Sangma announced that the Government of India has finally approved mining leases for four miners, and the final paperwork for scientific mining will be completed within 60 days.
Speaking about the Western Bypass Project worth more than Rs. 800 crores, he said the project was initiated by the NPP and would transform the lives of people in the area. “Almost 80% of the Western Bypass will go through this constituency. Can you imagine how the life here will change, the employment that will be generated, the tourism that will develop, how much the farmers will be benefited. This is the developmental politics of the National People’s Party,” he reasoned.
Sangma also assured the people that the demands for improved education and healthcare facilities would be taken responded to in the right earnest.
He further emphasized on the importance of unity and cooperation in politics and decried political hypocrisy. He criticized some political parties and leaders for making speeches against the NPP during election campaigns, despite working with them when it was convenient for them. “I want to tell them (those political parties) in our culture, in the Indian culture as well as in the Khasi culture and in the Garo culture also, we don’t spit on the plate from which we eat. Please remember we don’t!” he remarked.
“We are good and we are kind and we work together because we believe in working together… I have never uttered a single word against these people, but it hurts me today when I hear such language and such divisive politics that people are playing. This is not healthy for our people and for our state,” he argued.
Urging the people to vote for the NPP candidate to bring development and change to Sohiong constituency, he stressed that the only way to bring development to the constituency is to vote for the political party leading the government, which is the NPP. Sangma urged the people not to listen to any other political party and ensure that Sohiong constituency becomes a model constituency.
“You already know that it is the National People’s Party that is leading this government and hence casting your vote for any other candidate, for any other political party will be a loss for you and for the people of Sohiong constituency. Because the only way that we can take Sohiong constituency forward, the only way that we can bring development to Sohiong constituency is to be with the government and to vote for the political party that is leading the government and that is the NPP party. Therefore, in order to bring the change and the development, I urge all of you don’t listen to any other political party coming and giving speech in order to ensure that we are able to make so young constituency a model constituency,” he concluded.