Shillong, Aug 3: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Meghalaya government to resolve several pending issues, warning of agitation if no action is taken.
In a letter today addressed to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, the pressure group expressed “disappointment and anger at the totalitarian and dictatorship ways of the Government of Meghalaya in recent events in East Jaintia Hills District and also over the lies and deception that the Government are making to delay various pending issues for several years now.”
The KSU listed five main demands extracted from its earlier longer list of 20, along with a condemnation of what it called the “barbaric and oppressive ways” of the government in East Jaintia Hills.
The first and most recent of these demands is to cancel the public hearing of the Shree Cement limestone mine project that was held on Friday in the face of determined protests. Those opposed to the project claimed that they were prevented from attending the hearing and intimidated by those from the pro-project camp. The KSU also asked for disciplinary action to be initiated against the East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police and other responsible officials, such as those from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB).”
The KSU demanded that the Meghalaya Residents Safety & Security Act (MRSSA) 2016 be implemented in the state, including the use of entry-exit checkpoints. The state government had introduced these but they faced a legal challenge and an amendment to the MRSSA has not been approved by the Governor.
Another demand was for the implementation of an amendment made to Meghalaya Identification, Registration (Safety & Security) of Migrant Workers Act 2020, which has been pending for more than two years.
The KSU recalled that, after dialogue in 2024, the state cabinet on August 3, 2024 approved the amendments to this Act that have not been put into effect. It said the amendment provides for “mandatory registration with police verification and fines and imprisonment for violators” and was brought in after the KSU “drove out thousands of illegal migrant labourers from the state.”
The other demands were for a resolution to the NEIGRIHMS recruitment issues, specifically the hiring of more female nurses and revision of tribal quotas, etc; and the abolition of personal interview for Grade B, C and D posts in the state government, reforms of the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) and District Selection Committees (DSCs), etc.
The KSU also reminded the government “to pass a resolution in the Assembly against uranium mining”, which the latter had promised it would after the controversial issue of uranium extraction came to the fore recently once again.
