By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 11: Tourism Minister, Paul Lyngdoh has not taken kindly to the order requiring shops and eateries in Shillong to close by 10 pm. He has registered his protest with Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, who is out of town.
Lyngdoh said an entire city cannot be shut down over a fight between two groups and that such an order, an outcome of “overreaction”, would send a wrong signal that Shillong is unsafe for visitors.
“We need to tone up policing, involve the Dorbars, identify the problem areas and work on a solution. Closure does not solve any problem,” he said while adding people do not get drunk only at night.
The Opposition Trinamool Congress criticised the state government for failing to control the miscreants and for making the entrepreneurs and citizens the scapegoat, which is unexpected in a modern-day democracy.
“It is a very regressive step. Entrepreneurs and citizens should not be made scapegoats for the failures of the administration to control miscreants,” TMC vice-president George B. Lyngdoh said.
“In order to wash their hands off any unwanted activity, they just want people to stay indoors and put entrepreneurs under some kind of curfew,” he added.
He recalled the NPP-led MDA 2.0 Government exerting pressure on taxi drivers and vehicle owners to ease traffic congestion in Shillong, thereby affecting economic activities. “Why are the citizens and entrepreneurs being punished for the failure of the administration and governance?” he asked.
“We cannot expect the economy to be uplifted, households benefitted by letting miscreants hold society to ransom,” George said.
“This is unexpected in modern-day governance when the government has CCTVs and other tools to check such regressive activities,” he said.
Asking the state government to pull up its socks, the TMC leader attributed the anger on the streets to delayed recruitment. “The police do not have enough manpower, the appointment of 1,200 people is taking a long time,” he pointed out.
“We have been constantly talking about intelligence inputs, police personnel being transferred at the drop of a hat. The administration, thus, is more comfortable in keeping people off the streets and not allowing them to socialise, or do business post-pandemic,” Lyngdoh said.
Regressive policies would only discourage entrepreneurs and make students angry, which would not be good for the state, he said.
He said Meghalaya is not the only place that faces challenges from miscreants and the state has to ensure law and order for people to live in peace and tranquillity. “This is why people elect governments,” he said, slamming the government for succumbing to a few miscreants.
HYC leader Robert June Kharjahrin, while welcoming the prohibition on drinking of alcohol and playing load music in vehicles, said the order to close shops at 10 pm is unacceptable as it affects both sellers and buyers.
He asked if the administration will order the closure of shops at 1 pm just because there was a fight. He stressed that policing needs to be improved to maintain peace and order.
Parambir Singh, a hotelier in Police Bazar area, said restaurants and cafes could have been allowed to operate after 10 pm as they do not allow drunk customers.
“The problem lies with outlets operating on the open streets,” he said.
Kailash Verma, owner of a famous eatery in Police Bazar, said the hawkers should close their business at 8 pm and after which, the streets should be swept so that tourists can enjoy their walk in the area.
City-based lawyer, K Gautam said a lot of people will now suffer for the fault of a few.