By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 15: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has staked Rs 3,600 crore on a governance ‘overhaul’ for the year, prioritising a facelift for Shillong and Tura ahead of the National Games and setting an April deadline to finally settle the long-festering SSA and ad hoc teacher crisis.
The chief minister CM has called the lined up projects and initiatives as guiding priorities meant to steer governance throughout the year rather than short-term announcements.
Talking to reporters on Thursday, Sangma said that every year the government undertakes a review of the calendar year to identify unresolved issues and chalk out ways to address them in a systematic manner.
Highlighting priorities for the current year, Sangma said cleanliness and sanitation will be a major focus area, particularly in view of the upcoming National Games.
He said the government aims to ensure that cities such as Shillong, Tura and Jowai, as well as the state as a whole, reflect a strong sense of civic responsibility. “The objective is that when visitors come, they should see Meghalaya as a clean state,” he said.
The focus on urban sanitation comes at a critical time as the capital continues to grapple with the aging Marten dumping site and Jowai struggles with long-standing waste disposal bottlenecks.
While acknowledging that achieving this will not be easy, the Chief Minister said the government is determined to align its actions, resources and stakeholders in a more dedicated and detailed manner.
He added that several initiatives have already been planned and rolled out, and more detailed plans will be shared at a later stage.
April promise
For the chief minister this year, resolving the long-pending issue of ad hoc and SSA teachers is a personal priority.
He said that at the beginning of last year, the government resolved to find a lasting solution to ensure stability and smooth functioning in the education sector so that such problems do not recur. “I am happy that after extensive discussions, the issue was resolved by the end of the year,” Sangma said, adding that while implementation will begin in April, the decision has already been taken and communicated to all concerned.
Similarly, the chief minister said that delays in scholarships had also been addressed after discussions with the Government of India, ensuring that such delays are avoided in the future.
He noted that several other unresolved issues continue to be taken up by the government as part of its ongoing governance process.
While the chief minister has termed the issue ‘resolved,’ teacher associations have previously expressed caution, waiting to see if the April implementation reflects the full pay scale adjustments they have demanded.
Mining licence
Addressing a press conference, the Chief Minister said around 17 to 20 additional applications for licensed mining are currently pending with the central government, while expressing optimism that these licences will be approved soon.
So far, four individuals have been granted mining licences, with investments made in equipment and mining operations having commenced at certain levels.
He said that the process for obtaining mining licences is now more streamlined following the establishment of standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“The most challenging phase of implementing this new system is over,” Sangma said, noting that the focus is now on expanding scientific mining and bringing more miners into the fold.
Scientific mining of coal has already been flagged off twice.
