The Achik State Peoples’ Front (ASPF) has demanded the State government to shelve plans to shift the Government Printing Press from Tura.
According to the group, there are ongoing attempts to displace the only Government Printing Press located in Tura.
“The Government Printing Press at Tura has historically served the entire Garo Hills region. However, we have received verified and disturbing reports that the entire premises have been handed over to the Tourism Department without ensuring a suitable replacement or alternative infrastructure for the Printing and Stationery Department,” ASPF general secretary Bernita Marak said.
Marak in a letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, cabinet minister in charge of the department AL Hek and Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh pointed out that the press office, with three vital sections—Industrial, Stationery, and Accounts—was functioning in its original premises, despite there was already a serious shortage of storage space for raw paper, forcing staff to stack materials in corridors. This not only presented a disorganized image but also risked damage to essential materials and safety risk for staff.
While the department has been forced to shift and operate from the old Orchid Lodge building under temporary and grossly inadequate arrangements, the space provided is unsuitable for operating machines or storing printing materials and cannot accommodate over 80 staff members – effectively rendering the press non-functional, she said.
Stating that only a few machines will be functional after the relocation, despite the fact that the printing operations are a highly coordinated team effort requiring both skilled human resources and a full complement of industrial machinery, the ASPF said partial functioning will paralyse productivity.
Furthermore, the press operations require a 100 KVA transformer and a 100 KVA generator for backup during emergency printing tasks and therefore shifting, reinstalling, and re-establishing proper industrial-grade electrical and internet connections is critical for safe, efficient operations. A hasty move into an unfit temporary facility will jeopardize both safety and service delivery, while posing fire and electrical hazards, the group said.
The ASPF also said that the promised construction of a new Printing Press complex, reportedly planned near Holy Cross Hospital, Tura to be funded by the Tourism Department, has not materialized. “Upon our enquiry, we were categorically informed that no funds have been sanctioned, nor is there any concrete timeline or plan for implementation,” it added.
Expressing shock that the machinery and materials of the Tura Printing Press are allegedly being shifted to other district headquarters, the ASPF said this signals a backdoor effort to dismantle and relocate the press out of Garo Hills.
Moreover, vacancies arising from the retirement of Garo Hills-based employees are being deliberately left unfilled, in stark contrast to other regions where posts are immediately replaced – reflecting systemic bias against local candidates. This glaring disparity in recruitment only strengthens our suspicion of a larger systemic neglect of Garo Hills, the ASPF said.
The group wants the government to provide an official assurance and written commitment that the Press will remain in Garo Hills, and that status quo will be maintained and urgent construction of a permanent and fully-equipped complex in Tura with all necessary infrastructure, including staff quarters, machinery halls, and storage as well as immediate filling of all vacant posts with qualified local candidates to ensure employment opportunities for the Garo community and smooth functioning of the department.
Asking the Tourism Department to immediately release funds and begin the construction of the building as per the agreement made the ASPF said that the project should be executed within the current financial year with regular updates shared with public representatives and civil society while the temporary arrangement at Orchid Lodge be immediately upgraded to support full-fledged operations, until the new building is completed.
“We want to re-emphasize that the people of Garo Hills will not remain silent in the face of this gross injustice. Should these demands not be fulfilled in a timely and transparent manner, the ASPF will be compelled to launch a region-wide democratic agitation, including mass mobilization, civil society engagement, and legal intervention,” it said.
The ASPF said it will not allow marginalization or institutional dismantling in Garo Hills. “The Government Printing Press is not just a building; it is a symbol of regional equity, service delivery, and employment for our people. It is about the respect, rights, and representation of the people of Garo Hills. We demand justice. We demand dignity. And we demand immediate government intervention with transparency,” the group added.
