By Eugene D Thomas

Scores and scores of people who have come to Meghalaya, and with whom I have had the opportunity to interact, are so enamoured with this place of natural beauty, be it the Khasi or Garo hills. However, not one of them have had a positive thing to say about the infrastructure provided by the state. Every now and again we hear and read of some Minister or the other boasting of the development taking place in the state. At times like these, I wonder whether our Government is being run by smart people who try to fool us, or by imbeciles who believe all that their bureaucrats feed them and are not inclined to do some homework for themselves!

A few days back, a family of six members so tragically lost their lives in Nongthymmai Neng under Mawphlang block. They died a horrible death through electrocution. May their souls rest in peace. But lo and behold, the Power Minister says that the MeECL is not at fault! And his conclusion is based on a preliminary report of the MeECL itself! Do you for a moment believe that a department inquiring into its own action or inaction will blame itself of wrongdoing? And if the fault is not theirs, then why announce a financial compensation at all?

The MeECL has through the years degenerated in its service and is now on the verge of collapse. For every fault, we hear the all too familiar reason of “no money.” Where has all the money gone? And the tariff here is one of the steepest in the country! It has no money to replace poles. Poles are rotting everywhere and leaning precariously towards roads or people’s compounds. If they collapse and lives are lost, then again it would not be MeECL’s fault as they have no money! Costly home appliances and equipment (like fans, fridges, TVs) are regularly burning out due to voltage spikes – this is happening here in Shillong and more frequently in Tura. Let us not even think of the rural areas. If it is not a voltage spike, it is a drop, where again equipment do not work! And power outages are so common now. In Tura, power goes off on an average every one hour and stays off for almost 15 to 60 minutes at a time. Here too in Shillong, the situation is only slightly better. I know of a gentleman who had a harrowing time on the 1^st of this month at the dentist’s. Halfway through a complicated tooth extraction, the shutdown began at 8 pm. The patient had to just sit there in the dentist’s chair for half an hour because the generator was not working as the diesel was over. The power came back at 8.30 pm only to go off again 5 minutes later. It came back a second time only to go off at 8.50 pm and never came back in the Laitumkhrah and Nongthymmai areas till after 2 hours and 15 minutes. The patient had to return home with the procedure half complete and with part of the tooth still in his jaw! What trauma! But MeECL is not at fault! And worst of all is that for over four months now, in many areas of Tura like the main bazaar, the Nehru park area, and Burny Hill, there is reverse polarity; this means that live current is also passing through the neutral (negative) line, and this is extremely dangerous. Another tragedy is waiting to happen here. Despite repeated complaints made by private electrical technicians and wiremen, there is still no sign of maintenance of the transformers or their replacement – MeECL says it has no money! You apply for an electrical connection for your new home and you are asked to pay for even the poles to be erected in the public road – MeECL has no money! This corporation has time and again been bailed out for its inefficiency by the state government, and this time too, we hear that the state government is planning to financially bail it out! What an ingenious plan indeed – a good route for channelizing clean government funds for future embezzlement!

The conditions of the road in this capital city and elsewhere is pathetic. Any repair that is undertaken does not even last one monsoon season. The repair undertaken on the approach road to NEHU just before last year’s Convocation did not even last 6 months. We hang our heads in shame when academicians from across the globe and country come to this institution and pass through this road. What a first impression they must have of the state! Even the roads within a Minister’s constituency, like Lummawrie in Shillong, are in an unbelievable pathetic condition. Taking a walk in Shillong is courting disaster. The conditions of the footpaths are so deplorable that many a times I have stumbled and fallen. They are uneven, stones jut out everywhere, slabs are missing, or water pipes crisscross them! But of course, PWD has no money and there seems to be no more sense of pride and feeling left in our government babus and Ministers.

            Water is the other basic need of the people. Here too the PHE has failed, whether in meeting the daily needs or maintaining its quality. There is acute water shortage in many areas in Shillong and most localities in Tura. And with all this scarcity and contamination, nothing is done to improve the situation – the Minister does not accept this fact, pipes continue to leak everywhere (the PHE blames the municipality and vice versa, and no short-run action or long-term planning is done to shift the water pipes that run along and in the roadside drains. A friend who recently visited me from South India was appalled to see the water pipes on the road near my house at Shillong – he asked me whether this is a new technology for footpaths or sieving of garbage?

            And the traffic in Shillong is now at breaking point. Even in Tura, traffic jams now occur during school starting and closing times. For decades now we have heard of ‘thinking’ of flyovers and ‘expansion’ of roads. These have only remained in the tank of thoughts of the government! Every new Minister makes a big show of inspecting roads for ‘expansion.’ The traffic cops here are at their wits end. I salute them for being made to work under such physical pressure! And here too, we often hear the complain of ‘no money’ or ‘insufficient personnel.’ We the public are not bothered about the Power Department, the PWD, the PHE, the police – we know only one Government – the Government of Meghalaya. Are we to understand that there are several Chief Ministers in this state, each working in isolation? Or is there only one CM who is supposed to coordinate all departments and their requirements through the all-important departments of Planning, Finance and Personnel? Please stop blaming one another as we see through the ruse! Just get down to business and do some actual quality work that is visible to all.

            The other day, I happened to see a Facebook post where a respected Editor of an esteemed English daily newspaper of Shillong had queried whether there was any path-breaking research from NEHU that has positively contributed to the affairs of the North-East. I know of many research results from NEHU that have been sent to, the Meghalaya state government, including the CM’s secretariat. But we have not seen the policy prescriptions made in these studies acted upon by the Government. I do not know if these studies are even read, or just filed, or thrown to the dustbin! And of course, expecting even an acknowledgement is asking too much from awfully busy people!

Lastly, I found it most amusing that the present Urban Affairs Minister blamed the then Principal Secretary of the Department for the mess in the SPTS! How far have we sunk in the ethics of administration! In former times, there was no former or present government. A Minister does not blame his predecessor or a former bureaucrat, because the government is the government, past or present! It is like blaming yourself! If mistakes have been committed, then correct them! Period! And discipline among Government employees seem to have declined. Often you read a statement in the newspapers from this officer or the other making a clarification of his actions. These were not heard of in earlier times. In fact, officers refrained from going public as disciplinary action would immediately be taken on them. Nowadays, this is commonly observed and can only be allowed to happen because the political bosses in Government are weak, or incompetent, or both.

This government has forfeited its moral right to rule because there is no longer any service worth its salt that is being provided – its administration is in shambles, there is no discipline, and the only seemingly happy and satisfied lot are the Ministers and some of the bureaucrats. The present government, the worst so far as I remember in five decades, seems bent on the destruction of its people rather than caring for their well-being and happiness!

            They say that the people deserve their rulers! I hope this is not the case. And 2018 is coming. Its time for a new government. Here, we people should remember the saying of Edward Murrow – “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”

DALAI LAMA VISIT IS HITTING INDIA-CHINA TIES

By Devsagar Singh

Dalai Lama’s proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh next year has expectedly raised heckles of China which has remained a sworn enemy of the tallest Buddhist leader ever since he sought refuse in India in 1959.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has reportedly cleared a fortnight long visit of the Dalai Lama with no exact time frame and the places of visit include Itanagar and Tawang, among others. The Buddhist leader had planned a similar visit in 2009 but it had to be dropped in the face of stiff opposition from China.

As usual China has objected to the visit as it considers Arunachal Pradesh as a disputed territory. While the then UPA government under Dr Manmohan Singh buckled to the Chinese pressure in 2009 denying permission to the Buddhist spiritual leader, the Narendra Modi government views it differently. For the NDA government, Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh is part of the diplomatic offensive.

Recently, India hosted US Ambassador Richard Varma, in Arunachal Pradesh disregarding Chinese opposition. Ministry of Home Affairs, sources say, would like to encourage similar visits by other foreign mission chiefs. The reason is obvious: India under Modi no longer wants to be browbeaten by China. It is, however, willing to extend its hands of friendship on a purely reciprocal basis. The Chinese have continued to block India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) despite most advanced nations, including US, agreeing to India joining the 45 nation grouping for nuclear commerce. Similarly, China has refused to endorse certain anti-India terrorist entities of Pakistan for a ban under a UN mandate.

Lately, India has been loosely talking about banning cheap Chinese products in the country ostensibly because of opposition from Indian manufacturers. A similar demand had been made from domestic manufacturers in the past, but it was ignored. Now the Modi regime seems to be interested in sending clear signals to China that good neighborly relations can be maintained only on the basis of mutually beneficial moves from both sides.

Soon after assuming office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended India’s hands of friendship to both hostile neighbors—Pakistan and China—to demonstrate his intensions. Modi more than gambled by his sudden unannounced visit to Pakistan while he openly eulogized China for its success in achieving economic growth for its people. So much so, he proclaimed his intentions to make India a manufacturing nation (in lines of China). But Modi is sulking now on China after the latter’s non-cooperation.

Why, then, should he not care for Dalai Lama and his sensibilities when India under Nehru gave him shelter amid much applause from across the world. Half a century after the 1962 war with China, India earnestly wanted to forget the past. But it takes both hands to clap. Border issue continues to drag. There have been unwanted pinpricks in the form of border incursions in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

For Dalai Lama and his million strong people of Tibetan origin now in India, the struggle still continues. Dalai Lama’s government in exile in Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) is a living example of the faith and reverence that the spiritual leader commands from Tibetans across the world. Most countries and governments in the world, including the US, Europe, UK, among others, have ignored the Chinese opposition and received and hosted Dalai Lama. India gave him shelter all these years.

Dalai Lama, an apostle of non-violence, will be engaging in spiritual activities in monasteries in Tawang, Itanagar and elsewhere in Arunachal Pradesh. This is what he has been engaged in India. China seeks to paint him as villain. Tibetans in India staged mostly silent protests in 2009 when the Government did not permit their leader to visit Tawang on a spiritual mission. The protest was, indeed, against China outside the Chinese mission in Delhi. Modi will be only correcting the wrongs of the past by helping Dalai Lama visit Tawang Monastary, a historical place of worship for Buddhists around the word.

India needs to be wary of Chinese moves around its geographical territory. Apart from its moves in the Indian Ocean region, China has been involved in creating infrastructure development in disputed PoK region in cohorts with Pakistan. India’s concerns have been largely ignored all these years. Its all weather friendship with Pakistan is largely aimed at hurting India’s interests.

Regime change in India after Modi’s taking over as Prime Minister was considered by observers to be an opportunity for China to signal a change. But, clearly, that did not happen. (IPA Service)

Patricia Mukhim

The above is a question triggered by the recent letters in this newspaper pointing to the large scale benami business in the MUDA complex, right under the nose of MUDA officials and of course the Ministers in charge of the Department. The stalls are allotted in the name of tribals but are illegally sub-let to non-tribal business persons. In any case sub-letting was never part of the deal at the time of allocation of those stalls. It is almost as if MUDA sanctions this illegal trade and defies the very law that is passed by the state. Out of over one hundred stalls only one-tenth are run by actual owners. Most stalls are owned by relatives of politicians who have held charge of MUDA in the past or were in the Government or held some free-loading post such as chairmanship of some obscure institution. It is learnt that one politician who was told that there would be a sales-tax verification in the MUDA stalls and whose relatives had sublet the stall to someone else actually came and stood in front of the stall to ward off the tax officials. This is how cheap some of our politicians are!

The other day someone asked me if there is one outstanding entrepreneur in Meghalaya who launched into his/her own business strictly using venture capital. I couldn’t name any. All the big moneybags of today started their business journeys as food-grain stockists/wholesalers/ fair price shop owners who sold off large chunks of the grains in the open market. This was possible because of the inflated non-existent beneficiaries shown to be recipients of food-grains from particular fair price shops. Now that things are more stringent that era of laissez faire is perhaps over but there are other businesses that are just as sleazy in Meghalaya. So only when these Government appointed food agents had made their megabucks by pulverizing the system through collusion with politicians and bureaucrats have they now diversified into what some would call “clean” business, such as car retailing et al. But how clean is clean is anyone’s guess.

Then there is the case of the outsider wanting to make quick investments in Meghalaya and also getting back quick returns and then exiting the scene. Most have done so in the industrial estates of Meghalaya and left after they creamed off the transport, capital and power subsidies and other tax holidays under the North East Industrial Promotion Policy (NEIPP). Much money has gone into promoting businesses that were never meant to develop the state but just a few individuals.

At present there are many film makers coming in from Mumbai, Kolkata etc., and many more are likely to come from other states as well and maybe even Hollywood someday soon, with or without invitation and perks from the Government. They come because they are attracted by the locales and the stories attached to this place. What they actually want is a single-window clearance system so they don’t have to waste time running from pillar to post. But that is yet to happen in Meghalaya. People always need to depend on sifarish (patronage). So they have to find someone who is ‘close’ to the Chief Minister or the DIPR minister or the Industries minister and such dalals always make a cut out of fixing deals. One wonders if the Chief Minister is even aware of how many people make a quick buck in his name. Unfortunately such people are part of his inner circle. Wish I had an emoticon to indicate how bad this is for his image.

In Meghalaya, however, we are so used to the culture of rent-seeking that everybody who is a somebody,like a member of a students’ body or some pressure group, exercises clout to get rent out of all and any business. That such rent-seekers also jump into politics sooner than later is what sullies the governance in this state. These guys don’t know what governance means because they haven’t even governed themselves. Picking up issues selectively such as uranium mining or the ILP is highly suspect. Look at the condition of our roads today. Are they even motorable? Now, the third class patch- work on roads is going on and it is going to last only for a few months. Isn’t this the biggest ever scam in Meghalaya? Who is creaming off the PWD funds? Can we find out? Can’t these sundry groups file a PIL in the law court against the PWD? I learnt that someone has filed a PIL on Health and the Government is in a tizzy to answer the court. If only so-called pressure groups who claim they love this state were to file one PIL after another on the mis-utilisation and misappropriation of funds in Meghalaya!

Journalist Rajshekhar who just won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, spent three months in Mizoram in 2015 and reported on a range of processes shaping the state, from populist policies, weak state finances, shrinking funds for health programmes to crony capitalism. Rajshekhar reported that Lal Thanzara, the brother of Chief Minister, Lal Thanhawla, held shares in a company that was getting road contracts from the state government. The story resulted in Lal Thanzara having to step down as cabinet minister and as MLA. And look at us in Meghalaya! For three years the Public Works Department was held by a businessman/contractor who owns a construction company. Should this conflict of interest have been allowed? Ironically it was only after constant griping and bitching by this newspaper about this particular case that the PWD Minister was changed but guess what? He was given the Power Portfolio. This is a portfolio requiring a massive overhaul and hence someone with little less of personal business interest and more public interest would have done a better job. But the man happens to be in the Chief Minister’s camp hence wins either ways. And what about the Chief Minister?  Does he really have the interests of the state at heart by shuffling around ‘his’ men to hold important portfolios?

The other day while in a conversation with MP, Vincent Pala I pointed out to huge corpus of funds amounting to Rs 15000 crore lying unutilized in the Union Finance Ministry even while infrastructure in the state is so woefully deficit. Pala said that the State Government often fails to send DPRs that are viable and technically feasible and at other times does not have the margin money of 10% of the project cost which is compulsory in order to avail central grants from the NLCPR. Then he also pointed out that projects meant for central ministries are arbitrarily changed and others pushed in their stead. This results in confusion when he tries to follow up the progress of the projects. When asked about the Umroi Airport and the avoidable delay inn its commissioning he said that two land owners have gone to court since both are claiming ownership over the same land that is to be handed over to the Airports Authority of India for expansion of the runway. My next question therefore is this. Why is every land deal be it New Shillong or some land acquisition deal somewhere always mired in corruption and rent-seeking? Why is there not a single straightforward deal? Who in the Government is benefitting from these land transactions and why are they never punished? In fact most politicians are reelected because our people have become greedy for instant gratification during elections.

It is good that Ronnie V Lyngdoh is beginning to clean up the cobwebs in MUDA left behind by his smart and not so smart predecessors. What we expect from the Minister is to clean up the mess in the MUDA shopping mall and sanitise it from benami traders. He is also expected to streamline the leasing of JNNRUM buses and maxi taxis so that the State Government does not become the stupid dummy having to pay for the repair of those buses while the contractors pocketed all the money from running the buses! Can’t think of a stupider deal!

As for the Chief Minister, I would only want to pose one question before him. What has happened to the proposed Social Audit Bill? Has it become too hot a document to be passed by the Assembly? Meghalaya wants to know!