Social activist Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh has said that railway line for economic growth cannot be talked about in isolation.
“In fact improvement and full scale road connectivity must happen simultaneously to connect to remote and far flung villages. Goods train without proper road connectivity to transport goods especially those produced from the State to be shipped outside, is pointless,” he told Highland Post.
Stating that even if the narrative for the passenger train is still not clear whether it will result in influx from other states he said, “When it comes to the goods train for transportation of goods in and out, we really need one if road connectivity also happens simultaneously.”
He said goods train is needed and on demand. On the protective mechanisms against influx, he said, “We already have the Land laws here where legally except for the indigenous tribal of the state outsider cannot buy land. We also have the Sixth Schedule that is instrumental to protect the tribal rights and laws like the trading by non tribal regulation act, the Benami law that are some of the broad mechanism to protect us if implemented in letter and spirit,”
Pyrtuh added that the state also have the migrant labour laws, etc but, he stated that the already existing laws are not implemented in letter and spirit and that the district councils are yet to meet the aspiration of the ‘jaitbynriew’.
He further said that he is curious what is written in the union cabinet file over the resolution passed by the state legislature of Meghalaya on the demand to implement ILP in the state.
“Out ministers comes from Delhi and say that the central government is still examining but we really need to know what is written in the union cabinet file on the matter,” he added.
