By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 19: The Expert Committee’s report on the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy, 1972, will be made public shortly, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma assured on Friday.
Explaining the delay in making the report public, the Chief Minister attributed it to the extensive size and sensitivity of the document.
He said the report weighs nearly 200 kilograms and runs into 4,000-5,000 pages, requiring meticulous examination, as even minor punctuation could alter the interpretation of the committee’s findings.
The Chief Minister’s assertion comes a day after Voice of the People Party (VPP) president Ardent Basaiawmoit threatened to resume protests if the report was not made public.
Sangma explained that senior officials, including the Chief Secretary, are required to examine the report line by line and page by page, describing the exercise as a major administrative task given the implications of the subject matter.
He further stated that once the officials complete their review, the report will be placed before the Cabinet, after which it will be made public without delay. He emphasised that there is no question of withholding the report from the public.
Underscoring the significance of the issue for the people of the state, the Chief Minister reiterated that while the government is committed to transparency, the sensitive nature of the reservation policy means that no section of the report can be overlooked or rushed.
