Editor,
The recent development in East Jaintia Hills district whereby the Deputy Commissioner was transferred out of the blue to serve his new responsibilities in the Mining and Geology Department is something to be described as a ‘stunt act’ by the government.
East Jaintia Hills district within a short span of nine years of its establishment has witnessed a total of five Deputy Commissioners giving the average serving period of a meager 1.8 years for each one of them. In about four years of completing its term, the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) regime has already transferred and shuffled three Deputy Commissioners in the district. The question is whether the transfer process was really meant for the development and progress of the district and of its residents? The Chief Minister and his government know best though.
As a concerned resident of the district I failed to observe neither will I be able to understand as to how the Deputy Commissioner can look out for the implementation of ongoing schemes, projects or execute new ventures in his jurisdiction if the tenure of serving his responsibilities was framed to an average of only one year and eight months. Why can’t he be allowed to serve for three years the least? How can the district prosper in all angles of development when the captain himself got changed constantly prior to reaching his finishing line? Do the Chief Minister and his government really care about the development of the district? Or is it the resources of the district that are the only priorities for them to gamble at all times?
Poor health facilities, lack of educational infrastructures, shortage of potable drinking water, road issues besides other related major problems in the district that need special and immediate attention by the government were left unattended. The outgoing Deputy Commissioner in his short tenure of one year and two months however has created a good connection with the general public right from the grass root level achieving good performances whether in combating Covid-19, vaccination drives besides launching many projects/schemes in different villages but unfortunately ended up being prematurely assigned away from the district.
If this tradition of transferring the district administrator is being practiced regularly by this government, the big question before everyone to ponder is, whether East Jaintia hills is an administrative district or merely a business district for the government?
