By Napoleon S Mawphniang
Meghalaya frequently breaks its promises. When the cameras are not filming, these revelations are less captivating. The Meghalaya Biological Park in Umtrew Ri Bhoi District is a long-awaited project that took over 24 years to create and costv Rs 35 crore. As quickly as they were accomplished, great achievements can be undone. The project started in 2001 and was shut down a few weeks after its November 27, 2024, debut. The same degree of under-performance and obscurity has befallen the National Law University (NLU), Meghalaya. The people of Meghalaya will not like another state university. New institutions die without growth, accountability, and transparency.
The claims made in this article can be thoroughly investigated. The evidence needs to be increased through collaboration. We can get together and create additional RTI applications if further problems arise. This process may reveal more – similar to discovering a skeleton. Who can say for sure? You might be able to locate Dantès’s treasure trove.
Development Illusion: Parallels to Meghalaya Biopark
Many saw the Meghalaya Biological Park opened in Umtrew, Ri Bhoi District, by the Chief Minister. It temporarily garnered attention as a milestone. Unfortunately, the park closed a month after opening, demonstrating the state’s weak growth. The inaugural seemed like propaganda without a long-term plan. If it can’t manage a biological park, how can the state protect a research-intensive University with unfulfilled political commitments?
This calamity symbolizes the NLU Meghalaya’s difficult path to excellence. NLU Meghalaya’s website claims “excellence in legal education” and “transformative research,” but students, citizens, and RTI activists disagree. NLU Meghalaya, like the Biological Park, shuttered after a grand opening due to bureaucracy, funds, and infrastructure.
Overspending on infrastructure
Some government projects have huge expenses. Journalism legend Kong Patricia Mukhim questioned public project cost overruns.. Inflated funds are devolved towards a continuous building process and “inauguration ceremonies” are overshadowed by deception and inefficiency.
These allegations target NLU Meghalaya’s Mayurbhanj Complex campus in Nongthymmai, Shillong. Costs can surpass expectations despite “world-class infrastructure.” Where does the additional funding go? Why is so little help given to students, especially PWDs, who often lack accommodations despite the stated dedication to inclusive education?
NLU Meghalaya Accountability Questions
Disorganized Staff and Faculty Appointments: Transparent recruiting guarantees a healthy university where the best are hired as permanent instructors to attract and support students. NLU Meghalaya insiders say only 2% of the staff are permanent or “regular” while the rest are contractual or on lien. If true, the Vice Chancellor’s personal travel to Delhi and other Indian cities with university funding implies an accountability breach. This spending is not publicly disclosed despite RTI efforts.
Academic and administrative priorities may be compromised if an institution cannot reveal its administration’s travel expenses. If a National Law University’s money for library expansions, academic exchange programs, and student amenities is diverted to superfluous travel or other expenses, it fails to produce top level lawyers. As Courtney Lynch famously observed, “Leaders inspire accountability through their ability to accept responsibility before they place blame.” NLU Meghalaya’s leadership has not stated its duties.
The RTI Problem
Despite its claims of “Excellence in Legal Education” and “Transforming Future Legal Professionals,” NLU Meghalaya’s RTI response is concerning. The university concealed crucial operations, financial, and academic data. A legal school should value transparency and responsibility, therefore this lack of information is troubling.
What is more concerning is that NLU Meghalaya appears to be “running away” from the Right to Information Act. Law University applications are not accepted by Meghalaya’s RTI online filing platform, and some offline submissions have been refused or not generated receipts. This is ironic. All legal schools should respect transparency laws. Indian public accountability rests on the RTI Act. And mind you the RTI is not just an irritant. How can a law and human rights university fail to meet citizens’ right to information?
Student and PWD Facilities Gap
Meghalaya claims the National Law University accommodates PWDs under the State Reservation Policy. But no data is supplied, and PWD students use the same facilities as able-bodied pupils, according to anecdotes and RTI reports. Ramps, elevators, and assistance gadgets don’t help people learn equally. Statements are empty without proof. Lack of a fully working, inclusive atmosphere promotes the perception that beyond glossy brochures, there is no real commitment to accommodate all learners.
Public Information Gaps
Visiting the university’s website contradicts the RTI response. The website promises “exceptionally bright academic minds” and a “futuristic educational experience,” yet the RTI response lacks data. Does the university’s “futuristic education” hide larger issues?
External Data Storage, No Local Systems
RTI investigations show NLU Meghalaya’s data on IIT Kharagpur’s servers for unknown reasons. Why not put data in Shillong under NLU Meghalaya’s own portals? It denotes unclear or negligent academic data organization. If the local authority lacks the technological expertise or desire to handle data, how can citizens trust that personal records, financial transactions, and other sensitive information are protected?
State Government’s Major Failure Disengagement with Education
The Meghalaya Government’s education policy is performance-based, say RTI campaigners. Education receives huge budgets annually. Denied RTI requests, bureaucratic slowness, and unexplained cost escalations make the tracking of such cash use difficult. Introducing a State University at this juncture is silly. Before beginning a new law university, the Government should have fixed serious faults with the current one.
Biopark Metaphor
Political capital and media excitement don’t equal progress, as the Meghalaya Biological Park’s fast closure reveals. Institutions need care, oversight, and accountability after inauguration.
Currently, creating a new State University could be another “biological park fiasco”—a quick ribbon-cutting, tremendous press interest, and quiet collapse or poor functioning. If the Government doesn’t learn from its mistakes, invest in sustainability, and be transparent, a new entity will waste resources.
Call for Accountability
People, student NGOs, legal fraternities, and Bar Associations prohibit arbitrary governance in a democracy. Because accountability voices face government disinterest, these groups must plead loudly. The Shillong Bar Association and High Court of Meghalaya Bar Association must seek swift and extensive institutional reforms at NLU Meghalaya and challenge the need for a new State University.
NLU Governance Transparency: The National Law University, Meghalaya needs impartial evaluation.Financial records, administrative recruitment, professor appointments, and reservation policy compliance should be audited. Civil society groups should review administration based on timelines.
Full Disclosure Under RTI
The RTI Act endures. The National Law University must accept online and offline RTI petitions, give timely receipts, and satisfy response timelines. The University must engage with open inquiry to win public trust.
Infrastructure Support for Persons (Students) with Disabilities (PWDs)
Universities are societal microcosms. If NLU Meghalaya cannot treat students with disabilities with dignity and provide physical accessibility or other adaptations, it has failed as a modern educational institution. Universal design must be built into any expansion or new construction project by law or advocacy.
Independent Staff Appointments and University Fund Allocation Inquiry
Examine the Vice Chancellor’s travel costs and low staffing. This probe must not be symbolic. Misbehavior requires legal or disciplinary punishment. Otherwise, we risk normalizing public money theft and exploitation without consequence.
Hold New State University proposals
Put an end to establishing universities. The public must say “no” until the government resolves the significant problems with NLU Meghalaya and other institutions, schools, and colleges regarding transparency and the ability to use the annual budget for education. We want to know how the funds were used, not just how much money was spent in direct and indirect taxes. Repeated government failures shouldn’t harm disillusioned law university graduates.
Fighting False Claims
If the government celebrates each new institution and departmental building with a bang but has no future strategy, we must say a big “Enough.” A new State University like the Biological Park or troubled NLU Meghalaya is unnecessary. In these situations, “quality education” is pointless. Call to fix issues first. Run a transparent, effective NLU Meghalaya with good legal education. Only then should we open another institution of higher learning. Anything less is pointless.
NEHU, a Central University with government backing, excellent facilities, and academics that transcend state institutions, accepts colleges. Central government financing gives NEHU resources that a state university cannot match. Instead of building another state agency, the government should improve NEHU and cut costs. The Meghalaya government must not sacrifice student and youth prospects for education.
How can the Government of Meghalaya blame NEHU for needing to create a state university? If media reports say the state has little influence over NEHU, why doesn’t it ask the central government to alter its Act and statutes to improve operations? Accounting determines whether universities serve the public or are political figments. Get back to our roots and demand accountability. After overcoming failures and recurrent delusions, Meghalaya may inspire future students.
(The writer is an Advocate , Trade Unionist and Humanist)