By Melarbor L Thabah
Meghalaya had only 5 districts in 1972. 20 years later, two districts were created. Another 20 years later, 4 more districts were created. 9 years after that, one more district was created which brings the total number to 12 districts. Cogent propositions for district creation are:
Shillong Metropolitan District: Guwahati, Mumbai, Bangalore, Calcutta, Madras, Hyderabad and other cities have a district within the city in order to ensure robust governance, administrative efficiency – convenience, logistics, and maintain quality law and order. In a district which has the highest crime rate in Meghalaya, bringing administration closer to the people in Shillong with a population of approximately 5,52,500 people with a population density of approximately 8,200 people / Sq. Km is imperative. Shillong has more than half of the constituencies in the district the Home Department has proposed to have two police commissionerates like Guwahati, to curb the ever rising crime rate. Shillong and Guwahati are the only Class 2 cities in North East India. Guwahati has got the attention it deserves with a separate metropolitan district. Shillong, the oldest capital in North East India since 1874 deserves the same respect it rightfully deserves.
Central Khasi Hills District: Encompassing three blocks which is the optimal threshold for district creation namely Sohiong, Mawphlang and Mawsynram Blocks with Mawphlang being at the center as the district headquarter. These three blocks possess the requisite size of 1,451 Sq Kms and population of 1,90,240 people approximately (health census 2025-26) when these two factors are combined together. This district will require a bit of work which is the upgradation of blocks to sub divisions; which, with the dedicated mindset and methodical financial planning of the government, this will not be a problem.
South Khasi Hills District: The reason for this name since Ri Bhoi is North Khasi Hills hence the name of this new district encompassing three blocks which is the optimal threshold for district creation name Shella, Pynursla and Laitkroh Blocks with Laitkroh being at the center as the district headquarter with district offices disbursed at Laitkroh, Mawjrong and Laitlyngkot for ease of travel of the Pynursla people. These three blocks possess the requisite size 1,115 Sq Kms and population of 1,95,050 people approximately (health census 2025-26) when these two factors are combined together. A few reasons why Sohra is not feasible as the district headquarter are (a). Sohra is not geographically placed centrally like Laitkroh thus posing difficulty in travel for the people of Laitlyngkot, Umtngar, Laitkroh and especially Pynursla. Laitkroh and Pynursla blocks will never accept Sohra as the district. According to sources over 55 Local Headmen from Mawkdok village to 12 miles to Laitlyngkot are in favour of creation of Laitkroh as the district headquarters versus only 12 headmen of the SDDF who favour Sohra, (b). The natural tourist beauty of Sohra will be drastically affected with housing and population expansions accompanied with solid and liquid waste arising thereof which will affect tourism negatively with it being the mainstay of Sohra. Hence, Laitkroh is the most agreeable compromised middle ground which is a win-win for all sides involved. Upgradation of the Laitkroh block to a sub-division is needed immediately.
North West Garo Hills District: The Garo Hills have North-South, East-West and South West Garo Hills Districts with just one district needed that is North West Garo Hills District with Dadenggre as District HQ to complete this full circle.
Genuine Reasons: There are many factors why many Indian states create more districts as time passes. A few reasons such as “population explosion and developmental needs” for creation of new districts are (a). EKH District has the greatest number of Blocks in Meghalaya with 11, (b). The district with the second largest number of blocks is West Garo Hills District which is not even half the number of Blocks that EKH has, (c). EKH District has the largest population at 10, 71,810 people approximately (Health Census 2025-26), (d). To Bring the Administration Closer to the People is difficult now with 11 Blocks, (e) To Ensure Efficient Administration with no leakages in which public benefits reach all walks of life, (f). To Enable District Administration to carry important Socio- Infrastructural development, (g). To “Decongest Shillong” by lessening the number of travellers to Shillong, hence traffic, thereby saving money, time, labour from the travelling to Shillong especially for those living in hard-to-reach villages – international border villages in which they can now complete their essential work in their respective Sub Divisions or District Headquarter, (h). To transfer the number of DSC posts reserved for those blocks to this new district with additional sanctioning of posts over a span of 9 years with 80% job reservation for the locals of the district.
The question of extraneous amount of work in all the District Offices (DOs) in East Khasi Hills also arises when all these District Offices have to work for 11 Blocks with nearly 11 lakh population which becomes unfair when one considers that they get the same salary as those in the District Offices of the other Districts in Meghalaya which have only 2-3 blocks with the second highest number of blocks being West Garo Hills District with only a meagre 5 Blocks. Therefore, equality of work in the district offices in East Khasi Hills District is the need of the hour to bring things at par with the other district offices in Meghalaya. Manipur which is approximately 85 Kms less than Meghalaya has 16 districts. However, I am absolutely convinced that Meghalaya needs a maximum of 15 Districts with 2 new districts emanating from the trifurcation of East Khasi Hills District and with 1 new district emanating from the bifurcation of West Garo Hills District. After their creation, district creation must never be allowed, ever again!
Financial Solution: There is never a good time for creation of districts in the perennially deficit states of North East India. However, with prudent financial budgeting in the short and long terms, I truly believe that creation of these districts will not hamper development in our state just as it did not hamper development in 2012 and 2021 when 4 new districts were created and 1 new district was created or the re-election of the party in the ruling dispensation in the following year such as in 1993, 2013 and 2023 respectively which was more resounding than ever. The 2012 methodology to avoid cumbersome financial expenditure is the best. Instead of sanctioning 42 crore at one go for the creation of one new district for capital expenditure and personnel, this same amount is broken up so that it is realized through yearly sanctions in a span of 9 years till it reached this threshold limit where nearly all the work is finished with the blueprint and the basic foundation being laid for further enhancement. This is the methodology which must be replicated for creating 3 more districts in Meghalaya next year with minimal effect on the state treasury.
GST of 9,631 crore was released by the Center to the State. The Cabinet can take 61 crore from this amount to create three districts which will be 23.4 crore per district. Thereafter, whenever GST is devolved by the Center over the remaining years, the Cabinet or successive Cabinets can replicate this same exact method.
Debunking Critics: There are two types of critics, one type is within the ruling dispensation and the other type is from the opposition. When the ruling dispensation created a new district in 2021, critics within the party said that this would be a bane for the government and also that district was created in the constituencies of coalition partners. The opposition parties opposed the move since the state does not have the financial wherewithal and that its creation would hamper development. However, the state did not incur financial burden and contrary to belief, development accelerated more than ever from 2021-22, 2022-23 leading to a thunderous re-election of the party heading the ruling dispensation in 2023 which became the most successful run in its history.
This was reminiscent of 2013 when the ruling party at that time got more seats than in the previous election year. One of the main reasons for the success of these two parties in the election year following creation of new districts was that the people in those constituencies being incorporated in those new districts who had been yearning for overall development appreciated the government’s assent to their genuine demands in granting districts and hence voted resoundingly for the party at helm of decision making as a token of their appreciation. The creation of new districts helped the poor and low-income middle-class families in saving time, money, labour and at the same time ensuring administrative efficiency, bringing administration closer to the people in light of population expansion, developmental issues and reducing the horrible traffic congestion in Shillong. It will be a win-win scenario for both East Khasi Hills and those newly created districts.
