Meet may resolve ‘tussle’ between Raj Bhavan & Secretariat
SHILLONG: The state cabinet will meet on Monday to discuss the recommendation of administrator’s rule in KHADC which was rejected by Governor Tathagata Roy.
An official source said that the cabinet will decide whether to refer the decision on administrator’s rule back to the governor for his consideration again.
When the executive committee headed by UDP-NPP combine collapsed in KHADC, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was away in Delhi and there was no cabinet decision before recommending the administrator’s rule to the governor.
When asked, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said he had spoken to the chief minister over the phone and the government took a collective decision to recommend administrator’s rule without the cabinet meeting being held.
Sources said that the options before the cabinet on Monday would be either to regularise the appointment of the new CEM, Latiplang Kharkongor, or to further communicate to the governor the decision of the cabinet to impose administrator’s rule in KHADC.
The governor appointed the new CEM after the Executive Committee was voted out. KHADC Chairman PN Syiem’s vote turned out to be the deciding factor after both the ruling and the opposition side had secured 14 votes each.
There was criticism from the government functionaries that the governor did not follow the procedure while effecting the appointment of the new CEM after the collapse of the KHADC executive committee as the decision was not routed through the District Council Affairs department.
However, Raj Bhavan sources said that when the election of the new CEM is held, there is a provision for the governor to directly communicate his decision to the deputy commissioner.
But the stand of the government is that the role of the deputy commissioner is only to administer oath for the newly-elected MDCs.
The cabinet may also discuss the developments in GHADC after the chairman of the council could not take up the no-confidence motion against the NPP-led coalition though it was listed.
The opposition has already moved the High Court of Meghalaya against the stand of the chairman.
The cabinet may also examine the status of the ordinance on Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act which is pending with the governor.
