SHILLONG: Health and Family Welfare Minister AL Hek has shot off a letter to his counterpart in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, expressing anguish over the decision of the neighbouring state to allot only two MBBS seats to Meghalaya this year.
Hek told media persons here on Wednesday that he recently received a letter from the Assam government informing that two MBBS seats will be allotted to Meghalaya.
“Getting 10 seats is our right and we should continue to get 10 seats till we have our own medical college,” Hek said while informing that the state government will approach the court if Assam does not listen to the grievances.
The minister took up the matter with Sarma who asked him to write an official letter in this regard.
Hek expressed confidence that the matter will be resolved.
The letter to Sarma stated that 10 seats should be reserved for Meghalaya — four in Assam Medical College, four in Guwahati Medical College and two in Silchar Medical College — as per the agreement at the time of the bifurcation of the Assam state.
Hek pointed out that according to Paragraph 6 of the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Committee on division of assets and liabilities in 1976,
Assam had agreed to provide all facilities available in the Common Institutions (including medical colleges) located in Assam to the Government of Meghalaya provided the expenditure is shared on pro-rata basis.
The meeting was held between the Government of Assam and Meghalaya on March 15, 1976, in which RS Paramasivan, the then financial commissioner, and R Chandra, the then special secretary, led the Assam and Meghalaya teams, respectively.
“The Assam government should not unilaterally decide to abolish the reserved medical seats, which were agreed as a part of the division of common assets at the time of bifurcation of the State of Assam into Assam and Meghalaya,” Hek added in the letter.
Last year, the neighbouring state did not admit 10 nominees of the Meghalaya government in three prestigious medical colleges of Assam until the intervention of the Supreme Court.
