By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 27: Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan has asserted that the Government is still open to having talks with the HNLC within Indian’s constitutional framework and as per the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Giving his speech on the occasion of 75th Republic Day of India here on Friday, the Governor said that the state government is committed to bring lasting peace to the state.
The state recently bore witness to the sensational move of the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) to pull out of the peace talks with the Centre as well as the state government.
The outfit had alleged the government’s lack of seriousness in addressing their core demands which included amnesty.
Governor Chauhan said that significant progress has been made in resolving the border dispute between Meghalaya and Assam.
“Following the historic signing of a memorandum of understanding in March 2022 for six areas of difference, the process of survey has been initiated to demarcate the interstate boundary,” he added.
Informing that the Home (Police) department has augmented the district-level police infrastructure and Police Housing, he added that the Fire Emergency Services are being strengthened on priority.
Recruitment to nearly 3,000 vacant posts will also be completed in a time bound manner, the Governor added.
It was also informed that a life-size statue of U Tirot Sing will be unveiled on February 16 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and a high-level delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong besides senior cabinet ministers, senior officials, traditional heads, academics, artists, civil society members and journalists will be representing Meghalaya at the inauguration.
Giving details about the visit of the President of India to Meghalaya recently, the Governor said that the state government is preparing growth strategies for all sectors and is mobilising investment to make Meghalaya a $10 billion economy by 2028.
In terms of infrastructure, Governor Chauhan said that the government envisions building 1,600 km of new roads, upgrading close to 6,000 km of existing roads and converting 7.5 km of timber bridges to permanent bridges over the next five years besides unconnected habitations will also be connected with all-weather roads under the CM Rural Connectivity Programme.
He also informed the gathering that the government is taking steps to introduce a ‘Family ID’ system in the state to ensure better delivery of government programmes and benefits to individuals and families.
As many as 10 flagship programmes like FOCUS, FOCUS+, YESS Meghalaya and the Mission Mode interventions in the agriculture and allied sectors will be delivered through the Family ID mechanism.
The Governor emphasised that providing uninterrupted power supply to every household in the state is among the top priorities of the government.
“To that end, the Ganol Hydroelectric Project was completed in August 2023. Currently, 24 new sub-stations are being constructed and 48 existing sub-stations are being renovated under the Meghalaya Power Distribution Sector Improvement Project with support from the Asian Development Bank. The Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme is also being implemented to improve the efficiency and financial sustainability of Meghalaya’s power distribution system,” he said.
According to Governor, Shillong currently has 40% share of the state’s GDP and to further expand this, the Mawdiangdiang Administrative City in New Shillong Township has already undergone considerable development.
It was informed that the new Assembly building is nearing completion, and plans for building a new Secretariat Complex are being finalised. The government is also working on plans for a new ‘Knowledge City’ at Mawkhanu.
Talking about the environment concerns in the state, the Governor said that a fleet of 100 electric buses will be introduced by 2025 that will reduce fuel emissions in the cities in a bid to make urban transformation environmentally sustainable. The process of reclaiming the Marten landfill site using advance bio-mining technology has also been initiated.
In order to ensure a socially responsible urban transformation, the government has notified the Street Vendors Scheme and Act, which will regulate vending on the streets in a systematic way and protect the livelihood of the street vendors; 1,263 of whom have already been surveyed in Shillong, he added.
“The ‘My City Campaign’ has been launched to ensure community participation in beautification and enhancement of our urban areas. Other significant urban rejuvenation projects include the development of the Polo Riverfront, Ward’s Lake and the Golf Course area of Shillong,” he said, while adding that the Government is exploring possibilities of introducing regular flights between Shillong and large metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Plans to fully operationalise the Baljek Airport with regular flights to Shillong are also under way.
He added that the government recognizes tourism as a growth driver while adding that Meghalaya will be transformed into India’s most preferred tourist destination and the share of the tourism sector will be increased to more than 10% of the state’s GDP.
“Several schemes which will both facilitate tourism and generate livelihood opportunities are being implemented. One such scheme is Meghalaya Tourism Homestay Scheme under which a subsidy of up to Rs 7 lakh is being provided to tourism entrepreneurs for developing tourist accommodations, restaurants and crafts emporiums. The scheme has been availed by almost 320 entrepreneurs since inception. A large number of tour operators in Shillong and Tura have benefitted from the PRIME Luxury Tourism Vehicle Scheme. Under the scheme a 50% subsidy on the cost of luxury vehicles is being provided,” he added.
Admitting that the IT sector has been a crucial growth driver in the last few years, he added that the second phase of the Tech Park, which aims to create another 3,000 direct and 9,000 indirect new jobs, is in progress.
An ambitious project for building a Tech Park at Tura at a cost Rs 125 crore is in the pipeline and the tourism and IT sectors are expected to generate about 1.2 lakh jobs in the next five years.
“To meet the requirement of trained medical personnel, establishment of 3 medical colleges in Meghalaya has been announced. Treatment facilities in all civil hospitals and community health centres will be upgraded with latest healthcare technology. Operationalisation of the Medical Recruitment Board has resulted in filling up 47% of vacant posts in a single recruitment cycle,” he said
Astly,
The Governor also mentioned the Drug Reduction, Elimination & Action Mission , launched in 2023, which aims to combat the challenge of substance abuse and ensure a healthy future for Meghalaya’s youth.