By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 22: The Meghalaya government has spent a whopping Rs 22.56 crore on 124 consultants appointed for different departments but Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma justified the expenditure, saying 59 were appointed specifically for externally aided projects (EAPs).
The CM said this in response to a question raised by TMC’s Miani D Shira.
The CM elaborated that the consultants, who are technical experts, are brought in for specific tasks and added that they are a contractual team of experts in their field and that they are required in two sections — centrally sponsored schemes and EAPs.
“We have to use their expertise because we would like to move faster with the project and get their advice,” the CM said, while adding that consultants are necessary for Smart City projects and even PMGSY.
VPP’s Heaving Stone Kharpran wanted to know if any of these consultants were from the state to which the CM said that the selection is done in a very transparent manner. “There are 26 local consultants while others are from outside. It is important to remember that when these consultants come in they hire a large number of local people,” the CM said.
He also informed that the expenditure on the consultants is incorporated in the project cost itself; hence there is no over and above cost to the state exchequer.
Congress MLA Saleng Sangma suggested that the government should absorb unemployed engineering graduates from Meghalaya and send them for training so that they can become world class technicians.
Responding to this, Sangma said that the government always pushes for local engineers and in many cases it has happened but that is the mandate of the agencies.