Editor,
The revelations from media reports that have steadily poured out of the Meghalaya Cricket Association in recent weeks paint a picture that is as disturbing as it is unsurprising to those who have watched this body function for years. What we are witnessing is not a crisis that emerged overnight. It is the accumulated consequence of years of misgovernance, unchecked authority, and an institutional culture where the welfare of cricketers was always the last consideration and personal benefit was always the first.
Let us begin with what no one can now deny: the harassment of our young women cricketers. What kind of institution sits on harassment complaints filed by its own women athletes and does nothing? What were the then office-bearers doing by remaining silent for all these months? What message does such silence send to every young girl who has picked up a bat and dreamed of representing this state? The answer, regrettably, is a very dark one. It tells them that the association meant to protect and nurture them was instead protecting those who wronged them.
And if the harassment cover-up were not enough, The Shillong Times has recently reported on a financial irregularities document that lays bare a pattern of systematic overbilling and questionable expenditure that has long bled the MCA dry. A travel agency overbilling by more than 100% consistently over years. A resort selected for MCA elections in Ri-Bhoi, instead of the MCA headquarters in Shillong, which billed the association twice for election-related events in December 2025, totalling over Rs 16 lakh, for room and dining covers wildly disproportionate to the actual number of people in attendance.
They are funds meant for cricket infrastructure, coaching, tournaments, and the development of the next generation of players from this state. Every rupee siphoned off through inflated invoices and questionable hospitality is a rupee stolen from a young cricketer’s future in Meghalaya who deserved better. That is the real human cost of this corruption, and no amount of official denials can change that equation.
What makes this worse is the brazenness of it all. The same names appear in multiple controversies, across multiple years, and yet there has been no moral accountability, no voluntary stepping down, no introspection. These individuals have treated their positions in the MCA not as a public trust but as a personal estate, to hold, to benefit from, and to defend against all scrutiny.
It is in this context that one must view the rift between President James PK Sangma and Secretary Rayonald Kharkamni. Sangma has publicly accused Kharkamni of attempting to cover up the harassment complaints and even of convening a meeting apparently designed to undermine the authority of the MCA Ombudsman who was looking into the matter. The internal conflict is real, the rift is deep, and it has paralysed day-to-day operations. And yet, at this particular moment in the MCA’s troubled history, this rift may be precisely what was needed.
For too long, there was no meaningful opposition within the MCA. No dissenting voice. No internal checks on those who ran the association as though it were their personal property. Sangma brings with him his political weight and his political history, and one need not be naive about the complexities and baggage of that. But at the very least, for now he represents a a voice that refuses to look the other way and so far has functioned to the benefit of the MCA. A president who calls harassment a matter of “grave concern” and uses the word “institutional failure” publicly; who has said there must be “zero tolerance for misconduct,” is at the minimum a disruption to the status quo. And disruption, in this case, is necessary and a pathway to accountability.
It must be said plainly: the individuals who presided over the MCA through these years of financial irregularity and institutional indifference to harassment have no moral standing to continue in positions of authority. Political connections, however useful in shielding oneself from consequences, do not confer the right to govern a body built on the trust of athletes and the resources of a sport that belongs to the people of this state.
The media reports suggesting that some of the named individuals maintain political ties that may have emboldened them, only makes the demand for accountability more urgent. No political shelter should be available to those who failed our women cricketers and leaked the funds meant for our sport.
Meghalaya has always had talented cricketers. Shillong has a cricketing legacy that goes back over a century. The state was among the leading performers when it first entered national domestic competitions. That potential has been squandered not by lack of talent, but by lack of integrity in its administration. The youth of this state deserve a cricket association that works for them, not against them.
The time for euphemism is over. The time for polite suggestions is over. This is a demand for accountability, transparency, and genuine institutional reforms at the MCA before yet another generation of Meghalaya’s cricketers are let down by the very people entrusted to serve them.
Yours etc.,
Patrick Kurbah,
Via email
Traffic Crisis in Shillong
Editor,
Traffic congestion in Shillong has now reached a point where it is disrupting the daily lives of residents. Hours are lost in jams, productivity is affected, and stress levels are rising. Yet, instead of finding solutions, authorities seem focused on approving more shopping malls that will only add to the problem.
I urge the concerned authorities to urgently consider the following measures:
1. Increase the frequency of SPTS/STEM buses to provide a reliable alternative to private vehicles.
2. Extend public transport coverage to all localities so that dependence on personal cars reduces.
3. Make school buses compulsory engaging SPTS/STEM buses for the purpose, to cut down on private vehicles during peak hours.
4. Stagger school timings for different clusters of schools to distribute morning and afternoon traffic load.
5. Identify and strictly enforce designated stops for embarkation and disembarkation of public transport to prevent haphazard roadside halts.
6. Implement higher parking fees in commercial areas to discourage unnecessary private vehicle use in the city centre.
At the same time, I appeal to fellow Shillongites to drive responsibly and strictly follow traffic rules. Indiscipline on the roads is a major factor behind jams, and public cooperation can significantly improve traffic flow.
These suggestions are based on Shillong’s present infrastructure. However, long-term measures such as road widening, construction of flyovers, and multi-level parking complexes are unavoidable as the number of vehicles grows daily.
Specifically, the State Government should study the feasibility of a flyover along the Wah Umkhrah river from Nongmynsong to Mawlai. This would greatly decongest the Nongmynsong–Polo route while also reducing travel time, saving fuel, cutting pollution, and helping address flooding in low-lying areas.
The city cannot afford further delay. I hope the authorities act before Shillong’s roads come to a complete standstill.
Yours etc.,
Krishnendu Deb,
Shillong
Correction
Editor,
Apropos the letter to the editor captioned, “Delayed Justice for Candidates Appearing for Assistant Architect Post (ST June 10, 2026), I had inadvertently mentioned “Assistant Architect” instead of “Assistant Urban Planner” which is the correct position.
The error is regretted.
Yours etc.,
Bhalangki Blah,
Via email
