Roster system: Ampareen assures justice to every community

Spokesperson of Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government Ampareen Lyngdoh has assured that the government will come up with the best solution to ensure there is no ‘injustice’ done to any community while implementing the roster system in the state.

“We will come out with the best solution and we will ensure that solution is manifested in credible information,” Lyngdoh told reporters today.

“I appeal to the people of Meghalaya and political parties across the board to kindly allow us to collect data, to ensure data collected is credible and to ensure that in applying this roster there shall be no injustice done to any one community. We are Meghalayans and we must understand that the government is for the people of Meghalaya,” she added.

Also referring to the ongoing debates on the issue, the cabinet minister said, “I appeal to political parties to be confident that the government is taking all advisories, suggestions, being debated and we will evaluate those suggestions and we will incorporate and come out with a roster which is going to be acceptable, which is going to be justified and which is going to have credible source of data.”

Stating it is a very difficult situation, she said, “We are trying our best now to ensure that while debating and discussing this matter, we should not be seen as taking anyone’s side, we will try our best to present to the people the best solution.”

On the other hand, Lyngdoh also asserted the need for citizens of the state to ensure that a practice that was propagated since the inception of the state with its positives and negatives should not be discussed beyond logical debate while citing that reservation policy is a very unique application.

According to her, the government is also aware that the roster does in all likelihood create some sort of a sense of insecurity amongst communities that are enjoying this reservation in the state of Meghalaya.

Urging the people of the state not to underestimate the capacity of the government to evaluate what practice will benefit the state in the long run, the spokesperson said, “We have been actively engaging on understanding the roster as it was and how best can we take that forward protecting the interest of all communities who will gradually and definitely be affected by it.”

“I want to give an assurance to the people of the state that the government is engaging actively. We have been advised by various court orders to ensure that we have a systematic application of the reservation policy that will seem like a policy that is sensitive to citizens across the board. We will try our best to understand this system and to ensure that while applying it we should not seem as a government that is unjustly applying a system,” she said while adding “This order of the High Court is going to have positive application in the future. We must as a state adhere to justice for all. We must provide a fair playing ground for all communities and we will try our best to ensure that in its future application we apply the system in the best and most justified manner. We are procuring all datas from all line departments to understand how the roster has been applied in the state thus far and we will adhere to advisories that are going to be productive in the long run for the state and the citizens of Meghalaya.”

On the demand of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) to review the state reservation policy, Lyngdoh said, “Again, I want to reiterate that toying with discussion and debate about the roster on public domain coming out with statements which can seem as bias is the incorrect practice forward.”

“It is not fair to give suggestions that may not be workable or doable. So we will not talk about any one political party but we appeal to all political parties that this is a very sensitive issue, we do not want to see it go out of hand,” she said while requesting all civil societies and NGO members to have faith in the government which will come out with the best solution.

Roster system, reservation policy should benefit citizens: UDP

United Democratic Party Chief Metbah Lyngdoh has taken up the issue of the state reservation policy and roster system with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and emphasized that discussion should be in the interest of all communities in the state.

“On his (CM) first day in office, I met him personally and I discussed with him with regards to the issue of the reservation policy and the roster system,” Lyngdoh told reporters today.

“I have placed before him this very sensitive issue which needs to be discussed in detail for the interest of the people of all communities in the state and the approach has to be in a very harmonious and peaceful manner,” he added.

“First, the right platform is with the chief minister. That is the right platform. So we have aired our concerns about this issue and the chief minister has responded very positively that we will look into this issue,” Lyngdoh said.

Asked the stand of the UDP on whether the roster should be implemented with prospective or retrospective effect, the UDP leader however said, “I would like to tell you here this is a very sensitive issue. One can’t just say I like this I like that we are here for the interest of the people of our state. With responsibility and accountability, we have to ensure whatever issues that we take up it has to be in a very matured manner.”

He reiterated that the issue is very sensitive and delicate and need a very detailed discussion with the stakeholders in the government and said, “There we will place our points and give our suggestions accordingly.”

Lyngdoh also refused to comment on the VPP’s demand for reviewing of the state reservation policy and said, “I am not concerned about the points raised by other political parties I am concern about our own political party.”

When it was pointed out that the UDP had also made it clear the need to review of the reservation policy in its election manifesto, the party president however said, “That is what I am saying so we will be reviewing in what sense? In the right platform. That is where we have to understand.”

Lyngdoh also said that he does not know who brought up the need to have a special session on the issue and said that the issue need to be discussed first at the right platform then they will see from there.

Govt to discuss roster system implementation

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has informed that a meeting to discuss the implementation of the roster system will be held within this week.

“Within this week itself, we will be having an internal meeting of the government and it will take some time for us to go through all the documentations, papers, court orders, the proper interpretation and all that,” Sangma told reporters on Monday.

He informed that after discussion takes place at the government level, the same will be expanded to political parties and stakeholders.

“After taking everybody on board then we will figure out on how we should move forward,” Sangma added.

Stating that the issue is very sensitive, the chief minister said, “We have to look at all the aspects, we have to look at the court orders and the different issues that are there. Once we look at all of that and once we consult with all the stakeholders then we will make an appropriate decision.”

On the demand made by the VPP for reviewing the state reservation policy, the chief minister said, “Everybody has their own opinions. We have nothing to say about the opinions they have as it is a democratic process so obviously in democracy everybody’s voice is important. Therefore, if a political party is talking about this then they have the right to talk about it but ultimately we have to take all stakeholders on board and then we have to decide what is in the best interest and we will see as the team goes forward we will sit down, we will get the facts correct, we will get all the points out, all the issues out, we will discuss it threadbare and then we will decide on how to move forward.”

He also referred to Karnataka, which has also witnessed a similar situation arising out of the job reservation issue during the elections and said, “It is a natural thing. It is not something one can say it doesn’t happen anywhere. It happens everywhere and it is natural but what is important is we need to come together. We need to figure out how we could move forward what would be in the best interest of the state and the people and decide on how we can move forward so that is how we should do it.”

With regards to the demand for winter capital at Tura, Sangma said, “I have always believed and I have always been very clear in my mind that all these social issues that we are seeing are all related to economic development. Therefore, there are many ways to get economic development and people feel in certain regions that having a winter capital or others will allow economic development and policy making to come in.”

“Therefore, these demands have been there. Government has been very clear in its policy that we have been very development oriented and we have been working in ensuring that we are able to push the private sector into entrepreneurship – so we are hopeful these aspects will allow us to move towards the ultimate objective of having overall development in the state,” he added.

Bike thieves nabbed

Correspondent

Nongpoh, April 6: Jorabat police under the aegis of outpost in-charge Kapil Pathak arrested three bike thieves yesterday.

The Jorabat police outpost in charge said that three thieves were arrested in the bike theft case.

The arrested bike thieves have been identified as Sonrag Sangma, Jameson Marak and Mukesh Sangma.

Police have recovered two Pulsar bikes (AS-14H-6452 and AS-02AF-0667) from the arrested bike thieves. Both the bikes recovered by the police were stolen by thieves from the Byrnihat area.

Police are intensively interrogating the three bike thieves arrested and an FIR has been registered in this regard.