SHILLONG:
BJP leader and Tura MDC Bernard N. Marak on Sunday asked the chief minister, Conrad K. Sangma, to stop exhorting poor families at Diringga just because they voted for the saffron party in the Assembly elections.
“You must stop the eviction of the poor families at Diringga just because they voted for the BJP in the assembly elections. John Barla, who visited the locality specifically, said to stop all evictions, but as soon as you formed the government, evictions started, load shedding started, and water crises started, which are symptoms of bad governance,” Marak said in a letter to Sangma, who is also a legislator in South Tura.
He said Tura is the headquarters of Garo Hills, and there are various issues that need to be addressed immediately.
Marak claimed that even though the Central Government had given the state a lot of money to advance in terms of power, water, roads, and other facilities, little had changed and the state appeared to be drowning in debt.
“I would like to mention here that apart from constant power cuts, there’s been no cut in the bill, which has increased even in the BPL lines for the poor families. You must take note of these issues, which are affecting the poor of the whole state,” he added.
Further, the BJP leader also urged the chief minister to address the issue of water scarcity, which is frustrating the citizens of the entire Garo Hills, and said, “We have pipes connected to almost all the houses, but longing for live water remains a far-fetched dream in Tura and rural areas.”
He claimed that although the Centre had approved funding for the Jal Jeevan Mission and other initiatives, such as the upkeep of catchment areas and the restoration of forest areas, the funds had not yet reached the nokmas and village committees. This, he claimed, had a negative impact on the water sources through jhumming and led to an excessive level of water scarcity.
“May I know whether the funds sanctioned by the Centre Government were utilised in a proper way to restore, safeguard, and maintain the forests to preserve water sources? If yes, why are rivers drying?” he asked.
Marak also cautioned that the Civil Hospital needs immediate attention as the building might collapse at any moment if the wall that collapsed last week is not immediately repaired.
He further alleged that the funds allocated for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) went missing and did not reach the beneficiaries, and “it seems there is a big scam that needs to be taken care of by you personally.”
The MDC said the Individual Household Latrine (IHHL), old age pensions, disabled pensions, widow pensions, job cards, etc. are irregular, and most of the time the amounts are not deposited in the beneficiaries accounts.
“Is the state government following the guidelines provided by the centre in the implementation of the schemes? If yes, why are there so many discrepancies? I would like you to call a public meeting to take note of the discrepancies people want to raise before you,” he said.
Meanwhile, Marak also alleged that the GHADC has not been following the guidelines laid down by NITI AYOG under the 15th Finance Commission in the implementation of the funds.
“The Centre Government has sanctioned enough funds to make Meghalaya self-sufficient, but starting from power, water, and pensions, there have been irregularities that need to be curbed for the growth of the state,” he said while suggesting the need to form an advisory, grievance, or vigilance committee to assist the CM in identifying the lapses of the schemes and sorting out issues in time.