Editor,
The recent order of the Hon’ble Meghalaya High Court capping all constructions around water bodies to be beyond 50 meters from the high water or flood level has put some of the bigwigs in the Government in a spot of bother. It is public knowledge that the elder brother and ex-MLA of the present Dy. CM of the state owns a huge chunk of land in Pynthorumkhrah which is a flood plain of the Wah Umkhrah. The Dy.CM holds the important Urban Affairs Department portfolio and therefore has an important say in the affairs of building construction and granting of permission through the Chairman of the MUDA who is his brother-in-law the Jowai MLA. It is also rumoured that the Dy.CM has purchased the KL complex at Demseiniong which is itself another big plot of land and therefore has a huge stake and must be keenly watching the court proceedings.
It may not be a coincidence that certain officers of the MUDA have been transferred, bringing in officers who are assigned to posts not due to them. An incompetent MCS officer issuing an absurd order and the 78 – 80 year old Chief Engineer who is known for being close and cozy with the Minister of Urban Affairs eased out by a recent Government Notification barring retired government officials to hold office beyond 70 years of age, as reported in local dailies. It looks like the MUDA has become a personal fiefdom. Besides the above, another senior bureaucrat also has a plot of land somewhere in the RR Colony – Umpling, where apparently there is a river passing adjacent to the plot which is also affected by the above order.
Though many may say that the Court order is too little, too late since there are already existing houses and buildings in close proximity to the water bodies, certain relaxations and conditions need to be imposed and distance needs to be maintained from the high flood level of the water bodies. Lets take the case of the BDW school in Pynthorumkhrah where thick compound walls have been constructed and flood waters are unable to penetrate. The consequences and ramifications of that are experienced by the surrounding localities, families and homes. More so will be the consequences once construction is allowed for the above persons.
Therefore, at this juncture, it becomes imperative for all the high level functionaries of the state, the Minister, Chairman MUDA, senior bureaucrats with vested interests to be relieved and distanced from their present positions and to allow the domain and technical experts to bring in the required laws with justice and without fear or favour. That’s the least they can do for the state and the environment.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request,
Via email
What happened in the NCP was overdue
Editor,
Nature inevitably repeats itself. What Sharad Pawar had done with others is now being inflicted on him as he had on several occasions deserted others for his own convenience. In Indian politics he is known as Bhishma Pitama and just as Bhishma Pitama remained àlone during the last days of his life Sharad Pawar is also passing through a similar situation. Praful Patel who was made working president of the party also left Pawar and joined hands with Ajit Pawar. Once Modi mentioned in Parliament that he may be far behind in other fields but in politics he is always the winner and Maharashtra politics has proved him correct.
NCP ‘s Ajit Pawar changes Maharashtra’s political dynamics and becomes Deputy CM and this is the fifth time that he became Deputy CM of the state. Ajit Pawar along with his 9 MLAs- including Chhagan Bhujbal took oath at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on July 2 and he will be sharing the post of Deputy CM with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis. Ajit Pawar also claims that he has the support of 40 out of 53 NCP MLAs. It is worth mentioning that two rebellions reshaped the contours of Maharashtra politics .A year after the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray saw a split after the rebellion of Eknath Shinde with his 40 supporters, Ajit Pawar has led the second rebellion. Moreover, Ajit Pawar’s move is a continuation of Maharashtra’s political upheavals just as Sharad Pawar ‘s 1978 rebellion against Vasantdada Patil. At a time when Sharad Pawar is at the receiving end of his nephew’s move, 45 years ago he had split the Congress and walked out with 40 MLAs leading to the collapse of the Vasantdada Patil government. He was sworn in as the CM of the Progressive Democratic Front which comprised several opposition parties on July 18, 1978.
The present political developments in Maharashtra will definitely have an impact on national politics and BJP will gain from it. The NDA will get the maximum number of seats from the State in the coming parliamentary elections. The next meeting of opposition parties will be held on July 13 at Bangalore where Sharad Pawar has been playing a very active role but the developments in his own State will adversely impact the opposition unity. In this regard the TMC Lok Sabha member had expressed his views that there is no needs of an alliance with the Congress in the State.
As per media reports there may be a reshuffle in the Union Cabinet and Praful Patel may be inducted into the Cabinet along with some more leaders from Maharashtra who may find a berth in the Cabinet. This way the BJP will rebuild it’s election plans in the present political developments in the State. The unity among opposition parties is also disintegrating on the issue of UCC and it is likely that they will further disintegrate due to their own differences on various issues.
Meanwhile the Maharashtra NCP President, Jayant Patil has said that his party has moved a disqualification petition against Ajit Pawar and eight others who took oath as ministers in the Eknath Shinde led state government. He further said that email has also been sent to the Election Commission of India informing that the rank and file of the NCP is with party chief Sharad Pawar. As we are aware, after every split in any party it takes a long time to decide over the name of the party as well as its symbol.
The aftershocks of the NCP split will be felt far beyond the borders of Maharashtra as Pawar has a national stature. And its effect will be felt in the neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh where assembly elections are due to be held this year. Declining to go into numbers in the face of the rebel nephew’s assertion that the majority of the MLAs were with him, the NCP patriarch has called a meeting of the NCP functionaries – MPs and MLAs on July 5 to demonstrate his strength.
The contours of the latest battle would become clearer in the next few days but skirmishes have already begun. Amid the unfolding political upheavals, the NCP has appointed Jitendra Awhad as Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Maharashtra Assembly and the party’s chief whip in anticipation of the next rounds in the Speaker’s chamber and the Election Commission. The appointment was necessitated by incumbent LoP Ajit Pawar’s resignation last Friday as a prelude to his switchover. The vertical split has set the stage for a test for claims and counter claims to represent “the real” NCP in Constitutional forums.
“The ultimate judges of the legitimacy of a political party are the people,” Pawar said. The veteran Maharashtra strongman also made it clear that unlike those who have switched sides and support Narendra Modi’s BJP, he would continue his efforts to forge a unity of Opposition parties in the run up to 2024 elections. Meanwhile the country watches the unfolding situation cautiously to know what will be the fate of this political thunderstorm.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via email