Opposition grilled the Industries Minister, Dr. F A Khonglam and the Excise Minister, Mr Indro Pariat, on the alleged deals of nepotism and favouritism made by them.

During question hour the members raised a posse of questions regarding the sale of a Mark-4 Ambassador car belonging to the MIDC. The Minister told the House that he himself was the purchaser of the car. The Board of Directors of the MIDC had fixed the price at Rs. 21,965.40 paise according to its book value.

Giving reasons for disposing of the vehicle without going through the usual process of condemnation, the Minister said “the car was not condemned, but it was disposed of to avoid extra expenditure on its maintenance, as the present Chairman of the MIDC prefers to use his own car.”

Minister was in for more questioning from the Opposition on the manner of disposal of iron scraps by the Mawluh Cherra Cements Ltd. He admitted that during 83-84, 90 tonnes of scrap iron were disposed of at Rs. 400 per MT. No tender was invited; only three private parties were allowed to lift the item on the basis of their `offer’.

Dr Khonglam’s agony was not yet over. He was subjected to further questioning on the alleged Leyland truck deal. Furnishing reply to a question from Mr S G Lyngdoh (MUPP) the Minister informed that the Mawmluh Cherra Cements Ltd. Had sold two Leyland trucks at Rs. 59,000.00 to Mr R W Wahlang who happens to be the Minister’s brother-in-law. In reply to a supplementary question, Dr Khonglam said that the trucks were disposed of by calling tenders. Only three tenders were received. The Minister, who was no match to the combined Opposition onslaught, fumbled and muttered, so much so that at one stage Mr S D Khongwir requested the Chief Minister to reply on behalf of the Minister. Captain Sangma, however, declined to intervene.

The plight of the Excise Minister was no less. On question relating to sanctions of new licences to bonded warehouses, Mr Pariat informed that six new licences were issued since he took over as the Excise Minister. Asked what was the need for issuing more licences, the Minister replied “to meet the demand of the drinking section of people.”

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr B B Lyngdoh referred to the report appearing in a local bi-weekly about the Minister’s alleged involvement in the deal for issuing licence Rs. 50,000 a piece. There was no reply nor any contradiction from the ruling side.

As expected the PHE racket has become the piece de resistance of the resumed budget session of the Meghalaya Assembly.

Right from the word “go” the Opposition has taken up the cudgel to corner the ruling side on the massive racketeering in the department. Adjournment motion, resolution, besides a host of questions on the affairs of the Department have kept the ruling side on their toes during the first five days of the session.

The adjournment motion was disallowed by the Speaker, Mr E K Mawlong, but he conceded the gravity of the mater. In his ruling the Speaker observed that the there was no doubt that issue full filled most of the requisite conditions for the admissibility of the motion. The financial irregularities were “unprecedented in the history of our State.” He said “as members of the House we owe explanation to our people”. But having upheld the gravity of the matter, Mr Mawlong ruled that the Members could raise the issue through various other means during the remaining 20 days of the session.

Earlier, on the opening day Mr P R Kyndiah while moving the adjournment motion observed that the Department’s financial management had gone “berserk”. He said “it was unprecedented in the whole country in any legislature.”

Mr Winston Syiemiong said that the amount involved was over 9% of the State’s budget. He said the Kuo Oil deal which involved only Rs. 30 crore had rocked the country. He said the amount already spent was not reflected in the budget estimates for the year. He wondered now the Govt was going to adjust the excess expenditure.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Grosswell Mylliemngap stated “it is not a fact that the government is delaying the matter”. Since the matter came up in the House in February – March this year, the Govt “took immediate action.” He pointed out that there were the financial committees of the Assembly which could act as watchdogs. Besides, the CA&AG would also go into all the details of the matter, he pointed out.

The PHE Minister, Mr Salseng C Marak observed that the matter had figured in the House in December last year when Mr B Wanniang had raised a question. In the February-March session, some supplementary questions were asked. Since then the Govt had acted with a sense of “urgency”. Some arrests had been made and the police was registered cases against them.

The former Governor of Assam and Meghalaya, Mr Prakash Mehrotra will be accorded send off at a function to be held here on June 19 at the State Central Library.

Sources said that the State Govt would hold a civic reception in honour of the Mehrotras. The Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues, civil and defence personnel, besides public leaders and prominent citizens are likely to take part in the reception. Later, a State dinner would be held at the Ashok Pinewood Hotel in honour of the Ambassador-designate from U.K.

The Central had decided to set up two Field Testing Stations with general engineering Testing Laboratories at Gauhati and Agartala.

This information was given by the Secretary of the Department of Industrial Development, Mr S.K. Bhatnagar in his letter addressed recently to the Secretary of the North Eastern Council. Mr S.K. Bhatnagar also hoped that the Government of Assam and Tripura would encourage the entrepreneurs to avail of the facilities now being set up in these two places.

Earlier the Secrtary of the North Eastern Council, Mr P.H. Trivedi in his letter to the Government of India mentioned how the enterpreneurs in the Small Scale -Sector of the North Eastern Region have been experiencing considerable difficulties in obtaining the I.S.I. Certificates in respect of their products before they could be marketed. While mentioning the delay caused due to the locations of the I.S.I.(Indian Standard Institute) Office at Calcutta, Mr Trivedi strongly pleaded for setting up of a Branch Office of the I.S.I.(Indian Standard Institute) in the North Eastern Region to avoid irritants which act as distinctive to the local entrepreneurs of this region.

The Meghalaya Assembly witnessed some unprecedented scenes during the opening week of its resumed budget session. The . Opposition Members, armed with some tell-tale evidences on the multi-crore racket in the Public Health Engineering Department’s Jowai Division, launched a virulent attack against the Department, more particularly its Ministers. They have, almost as a matter of routine exercise, been demanding the dismissal of the two Ministers. While it is too early for anybody to make a conclusive remark that the two Ministers had any motive other than “helping some friends”, it will be naive on the part of the Government to explain the matter in a simplistic manner. Not only because the amount is huge, but also because it is for the first time that a racket of such a magnitude has been brought to the fore. It is another matter that some of the Opposition Members may not be above board, as remarked by Mr Edwinson Bareh, the lone Independent Member presently siding with the ruling -MDF.

But the crux of the matter is the moral responsibility of the concerned Ministers. Mr P. R. Kyndiah has cited the instances of Mr T. T. Krishnamachari, the former Union Finance Minister, and the resignation of Mr Ramrao Adik, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharastra for his alleged misdemeanor with an airhostess. Even the Speaker, Mr E. K. Mawlong, while ruling the adjournment motion out of order, upheld that the aspect of Ministerial responsibility was a valid point. But everything ultimately will depend on the Chief Minister, Captain W.A. Sangma. Since the two Ministers have not found it prudent to offer resignation, and since the Chief Minister has so far not yielded to the Opposition demand for their dismissal, perhaps it would be a face-saving device to strip them of the PHE portfolios, pending impartial probe without allowing any backseat driving from any quarter.

The Chief Minister, Captain W.A. Sangma has said that he would act against the two PHE Ministers only if the Rynjah Committee report suggests their involvement in the multi-crore scandal.

He was winding up a marathon debate in the Assembly on June 21 on a private Member’s resolution on the issue.

The Chief Minister rejected the Opposition plea that the two Ministers should be sacked outright. Said he “I am not yet convinced (that they are involved just because some slips have been produced. Will it be good to take hasty action without going through proper investigation? I would like to give every accused person a chance to defend himself.

Captain Sangma made it amply clear that he would not succumb to any sorts of “political pressure”. As the leader of the House he would discharge his responsibilities in a “judicious manner”. He said in a forceful manner that no stone would be left unturned to find out the truth. “If I am satisfied that the Minister are responsible, I will not hesitate to take action against them. It is not a mere promise”. The motive of the Ministers in sending the chits would come to the fore only when investigations were completed. Pending that he would not consider any action against the Ministers.

Significantly Captain Sangma did not go out of his way to shield the two Ministers. Unlike other Ministers he did not try to justify their action in issuing chits.

Regarding the demand for handing over the case to the CBI, Capt. Sangma said that it did not warrant such a step at this stage. However, depending upon the Rynjah Committee report the Govt would not hesitate to take CBI assistance.

The Home Minister, Mr D.D. Lapang quoted from the CBI manual to state that the central agency could not be involved in such cases right away. He wondered whether the CBI was all that effective since it had failed to solve some of the murder cases entrusted to it earlier.

Regarding issue of chits by the Minister. Mr Lapang reminded the Opposition that when they were in power they too had issued slips in similar fashion. ” I do not accept the allegation that issuing of slips is wrong”, he said. He surmised that the whole thing was a case of human failure. “Complacency brought the Govt to such a crisis. We will not let down this House, we will not betray the people of Meghalaya. Allow us time to correct ourselves”, he added. The Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Grosswell Mylliemngap observed that there was nothing wrong in Ministers sending chits to the executives. The important thing of the matter was the motive behind it. They should not be blamed merely because of the chits. He refuted the allegation that the Govt was trying to influence the enquiry committee.

Four Khasi and Garo authors were presented the 1982 literary awards of Rs.2000 and a cerficate of merit each by the Meghalaya Education Minister, Dr R C Laloo, at a function organised by the Meghalaya Institute of Art and Culture here in the city.

The recepients of the awards are Mr E Weston Dkhar, Mr Surendra S Marak, Mr Donbok T Laloo and Mr Tyllibor Dkhar.

The State Government has appealed to the Centre to transfer to the Civil administration all unutilised polts and land leased for commercial purposes within Shillong Cantonment and other Defence Holdings.

In an official note on the necessity to transfer some plots of Cantonment land to Shillong for civilian use, the State Government has pointed out that the Defence authorities have been willy nilly dragging its feet on some of the long pending demands of the State Government in this regard.

The note said: “The Shillong Cantonment is in an enviable positionbecause, with the heavy pressure on the land in the city, it has a large area lying unused. Some of the plots of land have been kept vacant for a number of years and are not likely to be needed for defence purposes in future.”

The State Government has demended release of the following plots: plot of land opposite Anjalee Cinema, plot of land of Anjalee Cinema, Garrison Ground, abandoned firing range at Kench’s Trace, Cantonment land north of Umshyrpi river, right of way of civilian through the Cantonment to the villagers of Umlyngka, Nongkseh and Lummawbah.

The North Eastern Council has sanctioned an amount Rs. 450 lakhs for setting up of an Artificial Limb Fitting Center at the Ramakrishna Mission Hospital at Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. This forms a part of the North Eastern Councils’ programme to extend its help towards the rehabilitation of physically handicapped persons in the North-Eastern Region.

Similar Rehabilitation Centres have been set up by the North Eastern Council at Agartala, Aizawl and Shillong. The Centre at Shillong was approved in August last year at an estimated cost of Rs. 10.60 lakhs of which the North Eastern Council is to provide an amount of Rs. 9.63 lakhs. The balance amount was provided by the Talents Club Shillong. The approved outlay for the current year for the Rehabilitation Centre at Shillong is Rs. 6.07 lakhs.

It may be mentioned here that the total lack of rehabilitation services for the physically handicapped persons in the North Eastern Region was brought to focus during the International Year for the Disabled Persons.

Excepting Assam where a Centre was already functioning, none of the other Units had such facilities. Accordingly the North Eastern Council came forward with a scheme for helping the Constituent Units by setting up Rehabilitation Centres for the Orthopedically handicapped persona t the capital towns excepting Assam at a total estimated cost of Rs. 81.26 lakhs.

The Meghalaya unit of the Bharat Scouts & Guides organized a youth parliament at State Central Library hall on May 13. The Department of Law and Parliamentary Affairs of the Govt of Meghalaya sponsored the programme.

Meghalaya Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr G Mylliemngap stressed the importance of exposing the youth to the parliamentary practices.

The State Law Secretary Mr S N Phukan explained the idea behind holding such a programme, Mr J P Singh, Education Secretary presided over the function. Mrs E N Shullai offered vote of thanks.

The winners of the prizes were: Sarbani Banndyopadhay; 2nd Jacquelin Jyrwa and 3rd Valentine Nongrbi.