Govt urged to start contingency fund

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 22: Opposition Congress Umsning MLA Celestine Lyngdoh today urged the State government to come up with a contingency fund for providing immediate relief to families affected by natural calamities.

Participating in the discussion during the question hour in the Assembly, Lyngdoh suggested that such funds be parked with the respective MLAs.

“If (government do not) trust the MLAs, let it be placed with the deputy commissioner’s office and the same be released based on the recommendations of the MLAs,” he said while adding the contingency if made available, will go a long way in helping the affected victims of calamities.

Replying to this, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said he is happy to inform the House that in the recently held MDA meeting, some of the MLAs had in fact given the same proposal.

He however said though the government may not be able to create a contingency fund, as it may have financial implications but the Special Rural Works Program (SRWP) and the Special Urban Works Program (SUWP) could be used to address the concern.

He said the SRDF rules can be amended to allow funds to be placed with SRWP and SUWP like it was done during the Covid pandemic. “We are contemplating and we are working on it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Opposition chief whip Saleng A Sangma wanted to know whether the government has any proposal to enhance the SRWP scheme.

To this, the CM said though the demand is genuine, the government however will have to look at the budget as five years back, it had already increased the SRWP by Rs 50 lakh. According to him, the SRWP in Meghalaya is very much on the higher side compared to other states.

Govt wants to turn Khyndailad into a pedestrian zone

Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh today said that the state government is committed to declaring Khyndailad a pedestrian zone.

“Our commitment will be to have at least one pedestrian zone immediately and that is Khyndailad. I also had a meeting with the Chief Minister and he is fully in line with the need to declare Khyndailad as a pedestrian zone,” Lyngdoh told reporters.

He said some access to local residents which will be on the basis of car passes will be issued but the entire area will be pedestrianized.

He said that the people who suffered most in Shillong are pedestrians as you have hawkers, you have motorists using every way and there is limited scope for people to walk around.

The minister further informed that they have already started declaration of parts of Shillong as no-honking zones.

“We are in the process. The district administration and the police are in constant touch and from the tourism department, we already started by declaring Orchid, Umiam as a no-honking zone and similarly, other units of the tourism department will also be declared as no honking zones because the USP of Meghalaya is the serenity, the quiet which is disturbed by loud honking and loud music which sometimes carries beyond permissible hours,” he added.