By Napoleon S Mawphniang
Look… I need to be honest here. When I first heard about the Taj coming to Umiam Lake, part of me felt proud. You know that feeling? When your state—your home—gets recognized by a big brand. When the Chief Minister stands there, hands over 66 acres, and everyone’s talking about Rs 330 crores and “luxury tourism” and “putting Meghalaya on the map,” it seems to make sense.
But then I started thinking. Really thinking.
And the more I thought about it, the more questions came up. Questions that keep me awake at night. Questions that I think every citizen of Meghalaya deserves answers to.
Here’s what bothers me most: Why does a government need to hand over public land—land that already has a functioning resort—to a private corporation?
I mean, let’s pause here for a second. The Orchid Lake Resort exists. It’s operational. It brings tourists. It employs people. People who’ve worked there for years—some for over a decade—cleaning rooms, cooking meals, maintaining boats, welcoming visitors to our beautiful state. So why couldn’t the government invest that Rs 330 crore into upgrading what we already have? Why couldn’t the Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC)—which is supposed to be our tourism corporation—develop a five-star property itself?
Socrates used to walk around Athens asking uncomfortable questions.
So here’s my uncomfortable question: Is this deal about development… or is it about giving up?
Dr BR Ambedkar spent his life fighting for the rights of the marginalized. He understood something fundamental: when the state abdicates its responsibilities, it’s always the most vulnerable who suffer first.
Right now, there are workers at Orchid Lake Resort—contractual workers—who’ve been told their jobs are ending. Not because they did anything wrong. Not because they’re incompetent. But because their workplace is being demolished to make way for the Taj.
These aren’t just statistics. These are real people. Fathers and mothers; people paying school fees. People with elderly parents. People who wake up every morning and do honest work.
And here’s the thing that really gets me… nobody consulted them. Nobody asked the union representing these workers: “Hey, how do we make this transition fair?” Nobody convened a meeting. Nobody even sent a formal notice.
Plato wrote about the ideal state—the Republic—where philosopher-kings would govern with wisdom and justice. But you know what the foundation of that ideal was? Dialogue. Consultation. The idea that good governance requires listening to all voices, not just the powerful ones.
Where’s the dialogue here? Let me walk you through something that’s been nagging at me.
The government says this project will “generate employment.” Fine! But employment when? The construction will take three to five years. During those years, the existing workers are… what? Just supposed to survive on air?
And after construction? Sure, the Taj will hire people. But here’s what they’re not telling you: luxury hotels like Taj have standards. They’ll bring in trained managers from other properties. They’ll hire people with hospitality degrees from fancy colleges. They might—might—just hire some local workers for entry-level positions.
But the experienced staff who know Umiam, who know the local culture, who’ve been serving tourists for years? They’re being shown the door.
Now compare that to what could have been: If MTDC had developed this property itself, those existing workers would have kept their jobs. They could have been trained to meet five-star standards. The profits would flow back to the state government—to us, the people—instead of to IHCL shareholders.
So again: Why privatize?
Aristotle talked about the polis—the city-state—and how its purpose isn’t just wealth creation, but human flourishing. The good life. He’d ask: Does this deal serve the flourishing of Meghalaya’s people… or just the flourishing of private capital?
Here’s another thing that troubles me deeply.
Back in November 2024, the MTDC workers’ union submitted a detailed complaint to the then-Tourism Minister, Paul Lyngdoh. They documented serious issues like workers being paid below minimum wage. No overtime compensation. People hired as cleaners were being asked to do managerial work without extra pay. There is no ESI or health scheme benefits, no provident fund , Above all there was violation of, “equal pay for equal work”.
You know what response they got? Nothing. Silence. Complete silence.
And now, instead of addressing these grievances, the government’s solution is to… hand everything over to Taj and terminate these workers? That’s not governance. That’s abandonment.
Gandhi once said, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” What does it say about us when we celebrate a luxury resort deal while ignoring the pleas of workers who built and maintained our existing tourism infrastructure?
I’m not against development. I’m not against the Taj. I’m not even necessarily against private investment in tourism. But I am against making decisions that affect thousands of lives without transparency, without consultation, without even considering alternatives.
So here are the questions I believe every MLA, every minister, every official involved in this deal needs to answer publicly:
Firstly , Why couldn’t MTDC develop this property itself? We have the land. We have the staff. With Rs 330 crore of government investment, we could have built a world-class resort and kept the profits in Meghalaya.
Secondly , What happens to the existing workers? Where’s the rehabilitation plan? Why wasn’t the workers’ union consulted? Why haven’t previous grievances been addressed ?
Thirdly , What are the terms of this deal? How long is IHCL getting the land for? What’s the revenue-sharing arrangement? What guarantees exist for local employment? Why isn’t the full agreement public?
Fourthly , Who benefits? I mean, really benefits. Not in press releases about “job creation” or “tourism boost.” I mean: who gets richer from this deal, and who bears the cost?
Fifthly , Why the rush? The land was handed over in December 2025. Workers are on the verge of being terminated. But the resort won’t be ready for three to five years. Why couldn’t we take time to do this properly, with proper consultation and planning?
Legal theorist Ronald Dworkin talked about “rights as trumps”—the idea that individual rights shouldn’t be sacrificed for collective goals, no matter how worthy those goals seem. The workers at Orchid Lake Resort have rights. Constitutional rights under Articles 14, 19, and 21. Legal rights under the Industrial Disputes Act. Human rights to dignity and livelihood. Those rights shouldn’t be “trumped” by tourism development goals—no matter how shiny the Taj logo looks in government press releases.
Justice here would look like – (a) Immediate consultation with the workers’ union (b) A transparent rehabilitation plan with guaranteed redeployment or fair compensation © Public disclosure of the full IHCL agreement (d) Resolution of the wage grievances raised in November 2024 ( e ) A commitment that local workers get priority hiring in the new resort.
Is that too much to ask?
You know what scares me most about this whole situation? It’s not just about one resort or one set of workers. It’s the precedent. If the government can hand over public assets to private corporations without consultation, without transparency, without protecting existing workers… what’s next? More hotels? Water resources? Forests? Land?
And each time, we’ll be told the same story: “Development. Progress. Economic growth. Global standards.” But development for whom? Progress toward what? Growth that benefits… who, exactly?
Socrates was eventually sentenced to death for asking too many uncomfortable questions. But before he died, he said something that still echoes across centuries: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I would add: The un-examined policy is not worth implementing.
We deserve answers. The workers deserve justice. And Meghalaya deserves a development model that doesn’t sacrifice its people on the altar of private profit.
So I’m asking—we should all be asking: Why, Government of Meghalaya? Why this way? Why now? And why without us?
Because last time I checked, democracy means government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Not government of the people, by the corporations, for the profit margins.
Think about it.
(The writer is a practising Advocate)
