Shillong, Sep 2: Voice of the People Party (VPP) MDCs from Shillong city have expressed concern that the Shillong Municipal Board has invited tenders for works in their constituencies without informing them.
The matter recently came to the fore with the Laban-Mawprem MDC, independent Ricky Shullai, taking up this matter with the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Chief Executive Member Shemborlang Rynjah.
Today, other MDCs from the Shillong city area – Strongpillar Kharjana (Mawkhar-Pynthorumkhrah), who is also the Chairman of the KHADC, Denzil R Chen (Jaiaw), Executive Member in charge of the Law Department, and Deity Majaw (Malki-Laitumkhrah).
The tenders, issued on August 27, include construction of roads, canals, footpaths and other projects in their constituencies and Laban-Mawprem.
Kharjana stated that these projects were initially requested by the MDCs through the 15th Finance Commission, but the Shillong Municipal Board’s decision to call for tenders without consulting the urban MDCs has bypassed them.
The Mawkhar-Pynthorumkhrah MDC also said that urban constituencies get less funding for developmental projects compared to rural seats.
Kharjana pointed out that an urban MDC like him gets only Rs 30 lakh annually for developmental works per constituency. He also informed that even after the schemes are proposed by the MDCs, it takes a long time to get approval from the government.
Kharjana also stated that even after the schemes were approved they did not get proper intimation either from the District Council Affairs or the SMB of them being sanctioned.
He said if the MDCs are not consulted if schemes in a constituency are sanctioned, then similarly in the case of MLA schemes, the same logic should be applied.
The Mawkhar-Pynthorumkhrah MDC further stated that who would be responsible if the schemes are not properly implemented. “They will blame us because the constituents know it as an MDC scheme,” Kharjana added.
