SHILLONG, Dec 31: The year 2022 was special for Meghalaya as it celebrated the 50th year of statehood with pomp and gaiety but some controversies and issues also dogged the state.
The biggest issue was, possibly, the killings of five villagers by the Assam police and forest guards at Mukroh.
The Central government reportedly agreed for a CBI probe into the incident but the notification is yet to be out. Although an FIR was lodged and inquiries were constituted, no arrest has been made so far.
In the beginning of the year, Garo Hills witnessed protests from people demanding the removal of the Chief Executive Member of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council Benedic R Marak, Eventually, he succumbed to the pressure and resigned.
The issue of illegal coal mining kept the government on the backfoot after rat-hole mining was exposed at Nengchigen. Taking cognizance, the High Court of Meghalaya issued several orders, directing the government to stop the illegal mining and transportation of coal.
The year saw Assam and Meghalaya signing a memorandum of understanding to resolve their boundary dispute in six of 12 friction points. However, the pact met with opposition with some villagers and pressure groups demanding its review. They alleged Meghalaya ceded its land to Assam. Some people filed a petition in the court and the matter is pending before it.
Despite the opposition, the state government went ahead with groundwork to solve the problem in the remaining six areas in the second and final phase.
The issue of Inner Line Permit (ILP) also continued to dominate state politics. The pressure groups kept reminding the government of the resolution passed unanimously in the Assembly for the ILP’s implementation in the state. However, the government said the ball is in the Centre’s court.
One positive development of the year was the commencement of groundwork for peace talks with the HNLC.
The year saw a series of protests and agitations staged by different categories of teachers demanding enhancement of salary, upgradation to ad hoc system etc. They slept several nights on the streets of Shillong as they pressed for the fulfilment of their demands.
The issue of the relocation of Harijan Colony residents to another location continues to hang fire. The state government submitted its blueprint to the Harijan Colony residents but they have not made their stand clear so far. The matter is pending before the High Court of Meghalaya.
The State Reservation Policy was also discussed and deliberated at length this year after the High Court had stayed recruitment processes. The HC had asked the government to first put a roster system in place.
The government this year faced massive pressure after it had come up with the Gaming Act and subsequently, framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021, allowing tourists to play gambling at designated sites. When the residents as well as church leaders vehemently opposed it, the government cancelled the temporary licences issued to some people to operate casinos.
The problem of garbage in Jowai town was also in the news. Ultimately, the High Court intervened and the problem was partially solved.
Traffic woes in Shillong, Jowai and Tura only compounded during the year in the absence of any government interventions. Intervening in the matter, the High Court issued directions to the government to ease traffic congestion in Shillong.
The state also saw people expressing their concerns over the Common University Entrance Test, 2022. They were relieved when the Centre exempted NEHU and its affiliated colleges for the academic year 2022-23.
The under-construction dome of the new Assembly building at New Shillong Township also collapsed in 2022, delaying the fulfilment of the dream of people to get the permanent structure. There were demands for a CBI probe but the government went ahead with a third-party inspection.
Around the same time, the construction of other projects such as the ISBT and a bridge at Mawlai Bypass also came under the scanner. The ISBT building leaked and the bridge suffered damages in the rains. The one-year-old Patharkhmah college building also developed cracks.
Earlier in the year, a government-constituted probe panel submitted its report on the killing of former HNLC leader, Cheristerfield Thangkhiew. The panel blamed the Tactical Team of the police for the death of Thangkhiew but the government has not taken any action against anyone so far. The report of inquiry was also tabled in the Assembly.
However, the reports of inquiries into alleged scam in the Power department and the “rice scam” were not made public. The reports were submitted a few months ago.
Floods and landslides, which wreaked havoc, claimed several human lives and affected over 5.43 lakh people in 581 villages. Thousands of houses were also damaged and several villages remained cut off for days together.
Alleged financial mismanagement and gross anomalies in the implementation of schemes have been the hallmark of the autonomous district councils.
There was a demand for a probe by the CBI but the government ordered an audit of the JHADC and GHADC accounts for the last 10 years by the Directorate of Local Fund Audit (DLFA).
The DLFA detected several anomalies in the implementation of centrally-sponsored schemes under the Special Assistance Grant by both councils. It submitted a report on its findings to the DCA department which wrote to both district councils in February seeking their response on the DLFA findings. The response is still awaited.
The Power sector was in the news for allegations of corruption, especially in the matter of smart meters. Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a probe by a central agency into alleged irregularities in the installation of smart meters and the implementation of the Saubhagya scheme.
A major embarrassment for the state government and the police was the arrest of Assistant Inspector-General Gabriel K Iangrai for his alleged involvement in corruption.
