Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma Speaks on ILP, Railways, Scientific Coal Mining and Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case

Raja Raghuvanshi murder case in the initial phase was matter of big concern for the Meghlaya Government

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma Speaks on ILP, Railways, Scientific Coal Mining and Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case

Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma on Friday stated that the high profile, Raja Raghuvanshi murder case in the initial phase was matter of big concern for the Meghlaya Government.

Speaking to reporters in Kohima, Chief Minister Sangma said, “In the beginning when the narrative and reactions were coming out and people were blaming the safety in Meghalaya, it was a matter of big concern for us. But when slowly the facts started coming out, it was a sense relief for the people of Meghalaya and the entire North East. Chief Minister Sangma said, “When facts started coming out we could see that many people from across the country, many people from Indore, Madhya Pradesh and other parts of this country, started to apologise for wrongly pointing the finger at Meghalaya and branding northeast in that manner. So, that was of course a step in the right direction.”

But Chief Minister Sangma admitted that damage was done to some extent when the US government recently issued an advisory asking its citizens to reconsider visiting Meghalaya and other Northeastern states which was very unfortunate and sad. “The damage was done to some extent. We have seen in the recent past that the US has come out; the US embassy has come out with an advisory for travel especially to the state of Meghalaya. And we feel again that it is very sad that Meghalaya has been branded in that manner. There is a possibility that it could have been affected by that particular case because it became a kind of a high profile case. Also, the memes that come out in the social media, all of this affects us in one way or the other. So, we cannot say that it did not impact which is very sad as I said”, Sangma said.

But Sangma affirmed that he always believed that the truth will come out and fully overcome the situation as there was no fault on the part of Meghalaya Government or the people of Meghalaya “ I have always believed that we are overcoming it and we will fully overcome. And I also believe that this will allow us and motivate us and make us work even harder. There was nothing wrong that we did. But the point is, can we do better? Can we improve the overall situation even far better so that people will really feel safe? So, we took it up as a challenge and now we are working towards that. And I am sure that whatever little, you know, negative aspect that came up, we will definitely overcome these challenges” said Sangma.

On being asked if instead of opposition Congress, it is its alliance partner BJP who is playing the role of opposition in Meghalaya, Chief Minister Sangma said that BJP and all political parties have their own agenda. Though Sangma stated that some very irresponsible statements were made by the BJP which is unbecoming of an alliance partner.

Sangma said, “Parties have the right to say whatever they have to say. But obviously, we are a coalition. We don’t expect that coalition partners would speak in that line. In some cases we have seen, some statements have been made here and there which are very irresponsible. But being a person who has to manage everything and as a person who ensures that we move ahead and whatever differences that are there, we overcome those differences. We are moving forward. Whatever concerns that are there between two political parties who are running government together, we always raise the issues with the central leadership if we are not happy. And we have been doing that in the past and we will continue to do it in the future also.”

Replying to a query on the impasse over Inner Line Permit (ILP) and Railway connectivity in the state, Chief Minister Sangma said that pressure groups are demanding for ILP to be implemented in Meghalaya but there are challenges since Central government has not responded on the issue so far. Sangma said,” We have a challenge there. We have passed a resolution in the assembly. But government of India has not responded to our resolution we passed for the ILP.”

On the railway project hitting a roadblock in the state, Chief Minister Sangma said that the State Government is discussing the issue with different NGOs and pressure groups that have raised concerns that railway connectivity in the state will bring illegal influx. “Concerns are genuine to some extent. And what they are concerned about are issues that we also would like to address. And therefore, we have been working closely with them. And we are very clear that as a state government, it is ultimately we work here for the people. And we would like to carry the people along with us. We have been discussing with them in detail about what are the other possibilities or other mechanisms to address the same issue of illegal immigration. So, ILP is one mechanism that can go to some extent to monitor it. There could be other ways to do it.

Hoping that the railway project will go ahead in the state after taking everyone on board, Sangma said that a mechanism will come out to overcome the challenges and address the issue of illegal influx which has been a taboo to the project. “We are discussing and we are looking at options. We hope that we will be able to come out with different mechanisms. And once we overcome those challenges and create the mechanism to tackle illegal immigration, I am sure that we will be able to go ahead with this. It’s a project that we all feel is important, especially from the point of view of transport and carriage and goods. Because it will ensure that the supply, the cost and all other factors will be taken care of. So, we are working on it. We hope that we will be able to find a way forward” said Sangma.

On scientific coal mining in the state, Chief Minister Sangma said that Meghalaya government has been given four licenses for scientific coal mining in the state, 12 are in the pipeline and he hoped that in the next two to three months, those also will be cleared.

Sangma said that in 2014, a big challenge came when the NGT had banned the coal mining in Meghalaya because of rat hole mining. Till about 2018, nothing was done because it was a very tough decision. But when he came to power in 2018 as Chief Minister, he decided to challenge that ruling in Supreme Court.
And with that step, the state government was able to lift the ban on coal mining by NGT which was done by the Supreme Court which paved the way to move forward. Sangma admitted that there are challenges because of land holding systems in the state and a special mechanism had to be created, SOPs had to be created for scientific mining to take place because the land is owned by the land miners and the land owners.”It took us some time but we were able to create those SOPs. Government of India, the mining department, the coal ministry, CMPDIL and other agencies, they all cooperated. We came up with the SOPs, people applied for the mining and now four mines have been given the mining operation permission, have been given the licence and all the necessary clearances and they in fact started the mining in scientific manner. And another 12 of them will be given very soon” said CM Sangma.

Also read: Meghalaya to Get 5 Disputed Villages in Ri Bhoi; MoU with Assam Govt Before Aug 15: Minister Paul Lyngdoh

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