By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 11: The role of the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) came under sharp scrutiny in the Assembly on Thursday, with the Opposition asking whether the body was redundant and the government defending it as essential for implementing complex, cross-sector projects funded by external agencies.
During the question hour, Jaiaw legislator Adelbert Nongrum asked why the state required a separate authority to handle externally-aided projects, arguing that line departments were capable of carrying out such work themselves. He described MBDA as “unnecessary” and “superfluous”.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma countered that claim, stating that the departments remain fully engaged and that their budgets have grown significantly from over Rs 9,000 crore seven years ago to nearly Rs 30,000 crore today. He stressed that MBDA did not replace departmental functions but was created because many externally-aided projects cut across multiple sectors and required a single coordinating agency.
He cited the Rs 180-crore JICA-funded MEG Life project as an example, explaining that while its primary objective was restoring degraded forests, it also involved spring rejuvenation and livelihood promotion tasks spread across the forest, soil conservation, C&RD, water resources, agriculture, and tourism departments.
According to him, MBDA provided the coordination needed so that agencies like JICA could engage with one authority instead of several departments.
Sangma also highlighted innovative initiatives under MBDA, such as a carbon credit feasibility study that enabled farmers in Baghmara to receive payments from international banks like Rabobank. He argued that projects requiring technical expertise and inter-departmental coordination were best managed through MBDA and the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA), while departments continued implementing sector-specific schemes.
Leader of the Opposition, Mukul M. Sangma, described the creation of MBDA as an “out-of-the-box” approach meant to bring convergence and build partnerships across stakeholders.
He said the authority had enabled Meghalaya to access substantial external funds, an initiative once praised by the Planning Commission and the Government of India.
However, he admitted that scepticism and negative perceptions had surfaced, partly because departments often worked in isolation without clarity on each other’s roles.
He pressed the government to ensure transparency, stakeholder involvement, and the participation of MLAs in shaping projects under MBDA.
Responding, the Chief Minister said the success of externally aided projects was evident in their growth—from Rs 1,300 crore in 2018 to Rs 11,324 crore today, nearly a tenfold increase in seven years.
He insisted that implementation had been efficient and transparent, with details of every project made available on departmental and MBDA websites. He added that while MBDA, being a society, was not mandated to table reports in the Assembly, MBMA’s audited reports were already being laid before the House.
The Chief Minister further said that the government was open to involving legislators more directly, including converging MLA and schemes with MBDA initiatives to strengthen impact on the ground.