Mawsynram MLA Himalaya Shangpliang has expressed disappointment about the lack of development in border areas of Meghalaya.
The MLA, whose constituency overlooks Bangladesh, said that in the last two years not a single project has been sanctioned under the Border Area Development Programme.
The BADP is sponsored by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and is meant to ensure the development of places within India that lie close to international borders.
Shangpliang has tried to find out reasons for the non-sanctioning of funds from officials in the state’s Border Areas Development Department but was left unsatisfied by the replies.
“The department tells me that they have submitted all the papers required to the central government, though at the state level the committee has already cleared all the projects submitted by MLAs,” Shangpliang said. “I submitted a proposal to the tune of almost Rs 2 crore for 2021-22 and another Rs 2 crore for 2022-23. We are six months away from elections and the people in our area who are on the international border are complaining about not receiving any developmental schemes.”
Expressing dismay at the way the state government is reacting to this matter, he said that he had raised this same issue in the last Assembly session and was assured by Border Areas Development Minister Lahkmen Rymbui that the matter will be taken up with the Centre.
“Now six months have gone but not a single penny has come in. I don’t understand the delay and what is wrong that these sanctions have not been cleared by the Centre? Unofficially I received information that the central government has not cleared these projects because of non-submission of the utilisation certificates by the state government,” he said, adding that because of this the people are suffering on the ground.
Under the programme, roads, bridges, school buildings, community halls and other projects are constructed but all the planning and hopes for further development have stalled in the last two years.
“The department was created for this purpose but what has it been doing for the last two years?” he demanded to know. “In 2020-21, out of 13 projects in my area, only six were cleared. In 2022-23 28 projects were proposed but all are pending.”
