Shillong, March 21: Opposition political parties on Tuesday expressed concern over the failure of the Governor’s Address to highlight the steps taken by the state government to address important issues which include the unabated influx into the state.
“The Governor’s Address has failed to highlight the steps taken by the government to address the issue of influx, safety and security of people living in the border,” Congress legislator from Umsning Dr Celestine Lyngdoh said while participating in the debate on the Governor’s Address.
He said that the Governor has also failed to mention the many failures of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) and failure of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state besides step taken to ensure transparency in governance.
VPP legislator from Nongkrem Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said that the Governor has failed to mention about the issue related to inclusion of Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
He also alleged that the during the last five years, people are living in fear and people are even forced to take law in their own hands while citing the incident where four criminals were lynched to death at Shangpung village in West Jaintia Hills district.
On the border issue, Basaiawmoit said that the government should not give away precious land to Assam in the name of border settlement.
“I am worried as anything done in a haste will turn out to be a waste,” he said while referring to the ongoing border talks for resolving the remaining six areas of difference.
He said no doubt the border dispute has to be resolved but many villages in Khasi Hills have now gone to Assam because of the MoU.
Lauding the effort of the police to wage war against drugs in the state, Basaiawmoit however asserted the need to take stringent action against drug peddlers and ensure they stay behind bars for a very long time.
He also urged the government to set up its own rehab centres keeping in mind that treatment for drug addiction is expensive and has been a problem for majority of parents.
The VPP leader further suggested the government to involve experienced academicians and experts in the state education commission.
Also Read: Conrad calls people’s mandate to MDA as the biggest ‘agni pariksha’
