By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 16: After allegations levelled by the NPP Farmers’ Front that the officers of the Agriculture department are selectively distributing seeds, machinery, input etc., to the farmers thereby engaging in nepotism, the agriculture service officers under the banner of Meghalaya Agricultural Technical Government Employees Service Association have written an open letter addressed to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. They have categorically denied the “unfounded and baseless” claim.
The claim was made by the Chairman of NPP Farmers’ Front at a meeting held on July 3 in Mawkynrew constituency, East Khasi Hills, which was also attended by the local MLA. “This irresponsible and factless outburst on the part of the Front’s chairman has tarnished the image of the department and its officers as video recording of the meeting and the speeches made were uploaded on YouTube and is being widely circulated. We are being ridiculed by our friends and our counterparts from other departments.”
Stating that they remain unfazed by such efforts to “malign and belittle” their commitment, they emphasised that the farmers should not be misled. “Our prayer is that our farmers see through the guise and judge us only through our actual actions alone. If there are any officers of the department, who are guilty of the claims made by Chairman of the above said Front, then they should be red listed and departmental proceedings should be initiated against them but not without evidence,” they said in the open letter.
They reiterated that all schemes and benefits are strictly implemented by the department in line with established government guidelines, eligibility criteria and through a transparent process without regard for political affiliations or personal connections.
They urged the CM to instill amongst all stakeholders the spirit of restraint and to act with grace and good taste, especially in public or professional situations, while clearly mentioning that they are not demanding any apology from the bearer of the accusation.
Dispelling another purported misconception which was also articulated in the meeting at Mawkynrew, it clarified that unlike the claims that the Director of Agriculture is unaware of the ground reality regarding the wants and desires of the farmer and in particular the demand for fertilizer, the official in question goes on regular tours to every district of the state to monitor the implementation of schemes and to get a firsthand insight into the problems faced by the farmers by meeting them face to face.
“The Directors are further supported by a team of officers and staff, ATMA and KVK functionaries who are constantly on the field tending to the needs of the farmers and reporting back the problems that needs solutions including the actual demand for fertilisers in the notified clusters,” they said.
For the last four years, the letter said, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers had short supplied fertilisers, adding that supply is not as per the state’s demand.