SHILLONG:
The state Congress has alleged that the new office building of the National People’s Party (NPP), which is under construction near Polo Ground, is being erected without acquiring approval of the Ministry of Urban Development Affairs (MUDA) and the construction is almost 70 per cent complete.
“Shockingly, NPP has not taken the approval from Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) for the building and its construction is about 70 per cent complete. The approval from the ministry is a mandatory condition for starting construction at any site within urban area,” said Banphiralang Basaiawmoit, vice president of Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC), on May 26.
The youth Congress further questioned the authorities on whose instructions is the “massive” structure being build. “We, as concerned youth, really want to know how can such a structure be constructed without approval and why has the MUDA not issued any notice,” said Basaiawmoit.
Notably, the foundation stone for construction of the new NPP office near Polo grounds was laid on September 1, 2020.
Secretary of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Manuel Badwar said that the party will write to the department about this flouting of rules. “Yes, the authorities concerned should take action on this as it is one rule that stands for everyone. If it stands for the general public, it should also stand for big parties and big masters. We will gather more information on it and write to the department,” he said.
Stating it to be a testimony of the blatant use of power by the current dispensation, the youth leader further alleged that the concerned authority too has turned a blind eye towards the issue to “please the masters”. “But when it comes to the common people, even if they are extending their existing buildings without approval, the department is alert enough to notice and issue penalty,” Basaiawmoit said.
The youth leader further took a jibe at the ruling dispensation stating that at a time, when essential establishments such as the Inter-State Bus Terminus and under-construction Assembly building are crumbling down due to sub-standard quality of construction work, the work in the new NPP office is going on unabated. “The building will be extra-strong as it is the office of the masters and not commoners. But, it’s unfortunate that the due process of approvals and regulations weren’t followed,” Basaiawmoit alleged.
He further stated that it seems the current regime wants to flout all rules to get work done in their favour, and the lack of accountability is clearly visible all over. “Even simple reports on various websites including State Planning Commission have not been updated after 2017. The question beckons, where is the transparency in Governance?” he asked.
The youth leader also slammed the government’s move to transform the identity of Meghalaya from an “educational hub” to a “gambling hub”. He said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma is pushing the state and the future generations towards disaster. “The signs are written on the wall for the youth to come forward and raise their voices against it before it is too late,” he said.
Stating that the state has a huge population of students coming from different parts of the country, he warned that such a move will make parents apprehensive to send their children to study in Meghalaya. “They will fear that their children will become gamblers here,” he said.