Leader of the Opposition in the Meghalaya Assembly, Ronnie V Lyngdoh’s statement that he would approach the Opposition Party MLAs to collectively raise critical issues during the 8-day budget session of the House scheduled for February 16-27, 2024, is a welcome move. MLAs need to be reminded that they represent their constituents and not just their political parties and therefore it is important to rise above political differences and collectively make a case for better budget allocation on more substantial issues such as health, education, agriculture, horticulture among others. MLAs need to be more active and be connected to what’s happening in the far flung areas of their constituencies. Not many debates have been witnessed in the Meghalaya assembly on issues related to the environment. The environment which includes forests, rivers, water bodies, reservoirs et al are left orphaned. There is none to take up their case because they can’t speak for themselves. Meanwhile massive deforestation and unregulated quarrying continues in every part of the state with none of the state institutions aware of such goings-on and their attendant consequences.
In present times people who have visited the state after a gap of ten years have noticed the environmental devastation caused by quarrying which is equivalent to gouging out the rocks and boulders and selling them to Bangladesh. Any attempt to put a halt to this assault on the environment is met with the counterpoint that selling environmental products is a livelihood for many. But for how long can the environment sustain this?
There are several issues that the Opposition could coalesce on and take the Government to task for that is its prime role. For too long assembly sessions in Meghalaya have been constituency specific with few concerned about the state and its economic and developmental trajectory. Not much is discussed in the Assembly about job creation. Some of the government-created institutions under fancy names have been touting that they promote entrepreneurship. The very word “entrepreneur” needs to be broken down for the common person to understand and grasp as to what is required of him/her to join the bandwagon of “entrepreneurs. How many of the so-called entrepreneurs that have been launched with government assistance are able to access bank finance to scale up their businesses?
Meghalaya features very poorly in primary education. The medical colleges envisaged over ten years ago are yet to be up and functioning. The state invariably ends up with bidders that have no record of completing any project successfully. This state always picks the worst private partner in every public-private-partnership (PPP) project. It’s time for the Opposition to put in quality time to study and research issues and ask questions that will make the Government sit up and act. Merely standing up and speaking without adequate facts and figures will not do. MLAs should spend part of their funds to employ research assistants to prepare questions and supplementaries.
The Meghalaya Government has spent a substantial sum of money to send MLAs for training at the Indian School of Business, Mohali. It is high time these MLAs prove their worth.