Shillong, Dec 19: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday reiterated that the findings of the expert committee on Meghalaya’s reservation policy will be released to the public shortly, stressing that the delay is due to the sheer size and sensitivity of the document.
Addressing concerns raised by opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP president and Nongkrem MLA Ardent Basaiawmoit, who has warned of a protest if the report is not disclosed, the CM said the government is in the process of carefully examining the voluminous submission. He pointed out that the report runs into nearly 4,000 to 5,000 pages and weighs close to 200kg.
Sangma said senior officials, including the Chief Secretary, are required to scrutinise the document in detail, as even minor wording could have significant implications. According to him, each page and line must be reviewed thoroughly before it is placed before the cabinet.
Yesterday, Basaiawmoit, in a video message, said that it had been six months since the report was handed by the committee to the state government but it had not seen the light of day since.
Sangma said that once the officials complete their examination and the report is presented to the cabinet, it will be released without delay. The CM maintained that there is no intention to withhold the document from the public.
The current reservation policy entitles members of the Garo and Khasi-Jaintia communities to 40 per cent of state government jobs each even though the Garo population is significantly smaller than the Khasi-Jaintia population. The VPP had been seeking to change this to better reflect the demographic situation at present.
