If you were to get news about Meghalaya only from government press releases, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was a land overflowing with milk and honey, with no one wanting for anything and the whole state running like a well-oiled machine.
The truth is far from this rosy picture. Sure, Meghalaya has great ambitions but in aiming for the stars it often forgets that its feet need to be planted on firm ground.
We think of expensive ropeway projects for tourists but our pavements are crumbling, our roads potholed, our streetlights non-functioning, our water supply leaky, our electricity patchy. The state capital doesn’t even have a half decent public transport system.
Our music festivals are second to none but our schools are at the bottom of national rankings.
We’re getting our nurses job placements abroad but our rural healthcare facilities are undermanned.
As a state we want to promote entrepreneurship but at the same time we harass hawkers and street vendors who are trying to eke out a living.
We are building one of the biggest football stadiums in the country but past experience has shown all too clearly that we do not look after the infrastructure once constructed.
That is actually the general trend – Meghalaya’s governments love big expensive projects but the funds needed to maintain them properly never seem to be enough.
Meghalaya, especially under this government, though the trend was begun under the previous dispensation, has become expert at tamasha but not at real substantial change that benefits the majority of the population in a sustainable and consistent way.
Consider the ongoing Durand Cup – lakhs if not crores of rupees spent on a grand show but no substance. At least the first edition last year was well attended. This year the stadium has been half empty at best. Our athletes need proper training infrastructure, coaching, equipment, etc. And they might get it now too but only because Meghalaya is going to host a budget-busting National Games in two years time that will dwarf any event ever held in the state. Crorepatis among the well-connected will be minted from this single event, no doubt.
Rules in the state (or the lack of them) are meant only to benefit the so-called high levels. Otherwise why would there be no restriction on the size of private vehicles in Shillong’s congested and narrow streets while hawkers are hounded by the authorities? Could it be because high levels drive around in massive cars and SUVs and don’t need anything from a street vendor? Perish the thought!
