By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 21: As the year draws to a close, demands for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya and the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution remain unfulfilled.
Soon after coming to power in 2018, the National People’s Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) Government led the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in passing a resolution urging the Centre to include Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. However, six years later, there has been no response from the Centre, the state government, or even the Khasi Authors Society regarding this long-standing demand.
Regarding the ILP, the MDA Government passed a resolution in 2019, with unanimous support from the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, urging the Centre to implement ILP in the state. While the state government made several visits to New Delhi to press the demand with the Prime Minister, there has been no response from the Centre on the matter.
In 2023, as the MDA Government continued its term, no official engagements with the central government on these issues have been reported. Meanwhile, pressure groups, which have consistently demanded action, continue to issue statements reminding the state and central governments of these pending demands. They have repeatedly urged the Centre to clarify its stance on the matter.
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Government has yet to appoint a firm to operate the 108 ambulance services. It has been two years since the GVK EMRI 108 ambulance services exited the state.
Despite repeated attempts to float tenders, the state government has failed to finalise a service provider. Firms interested in bidding remain uncertain about the government’s intentions. “There has been no communication from the government, and the silence on their intentions regarding the ambulance services is concerning,” said a representative from one of the interested firms.
Since GVK EMRI left the state following the non-renewal of its agreement, the National Health Mission (NHM) has been managing the ambulances. The government has floated tenders for the service on at least three occasions. However, allegations of favoritism and questionable selection criteria led to the scrapping of the Expressions of Interest (EOI).
Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh recently admitted that the department is proceeding cautiously to avoid past mistakes and complete the bidding process soon.