Sangma govt makes last-ditch attempt, but Meghalaya rail project is no cakewalk
While govt faces herculean task of building consensus among political parties for project, outfits opposing it demand mechanism that would stop influx of outsiders
Development or demography is the tricky question confronting the Meghalaya government as its last-ditch attempt to save a railway project connecting the state capital, Shillong, finds little support amidst concerns over the influx of outsiders, including migrants, into the state.
Conrad Sangma’s coalition government, headed by the National People’s Party (NPP), is left with two choices—either to go ahead with the project or to return the fund allotted for it.
To progress or to quit?
The railway ministry had directed the Meghalaya government to surrender the unutilised Rs 209 crore it had sanctioned for land acquisition for the Byrnihat-Shillong railway project in 2017.
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Sangma last month had said that his government would initiate the process to return the money, as no land could be acquired due to strong opposition to the project.
Considering the economic benefit of the project, the state government, however, has had a rethink on it, deciding to make a last attempt to evolve a consensus on the need to have the railway network, a railway official told The Federal.
All-party meeting
He was referring to an all-party committee the Meghalaya government proposed to form under the chairmanship of the chief minister with a brief to conduct a cost-benefit analysis and consult stakeholders.
The railway ministry has also reversed its decision to scrap the project, reiterating its commitment to extend railway connectivity to Shillong, the official said.
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The all-party committee could not start its functioning till Wednesday (March 21) as the state’s two main opposition parties, the Congress and the Voice of the People Party (VPP), declined to participate in it. The Trinamool Congress, another opposition party, is yet to take a call on its participation in the committee.
UDP likely to oppose project
The United Democratic Party (UDP), a key ally of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, hinted that it might join the committee, but the party is likely to oppose the implementation of the railway project without putting in place a system to check the influx of outsiders.
The party is opposed to the project as there is no mechanism to check the influx, senior UDP leader Titosstarwell Chyne told the media. He said the party will shortly take a collective decision on whether to be a part of the committee.
Also read: Meghalaya: 2,500 migrant labourers driven out by pro-ILP activists: Students' union
‘Govt trying to pass the buck’
The efforts by the NPP and the BJP to build a political unity on the issue through backchannel parleys failed to break the deadlock, sources in the ruling alliance said.
The Congress opted out as it feels that the state government decided to constitute the committee after finding itself on “sticky ground.”
“Not able to take a decision, the government is trying to involve everyone in the decision making so that it can put the blame on all,” said senior Meghalaya Congress leader Manuel Badwar.
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What does the project envisage?
The railway project is part of the plan to include in the railway map all the state capitals of the north-eastern states. The state capitals of Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh are already connected to the railway network. Works are underway to provide railway connectivity to Imphal (Manipur), Kohima (Nagaland), Aizawl (Mizoram) and Gangtok (Sikkim). Only the railway project to connect Shillong has failed to kick-off, primarily because it is the only tribal state, barring Sikkim, in the northeast that has not been brought under the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime.
The Meghalaya government’s decision to hold consultations on the railway project has brought the ILP issue to the fore as it has rekindled the outsiders versus indigenous debate.
Watch | What is Inner Line Permit?
Opposition to project, demand for ILP
Pressure groups like the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Federation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU), and Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) are vehemently opposing the project insisting that first, a strong influx-checking mechanism should be put in place.
They are of the view that the railways will open the floodgate for an influx of migrants to the state from other parts of the country, changing the demographic profile of the state, which has over 86 per cent tribal population.
The KSU warned the government that its members would fill the jails in protest if the government tries to lay the rail lines in Khasi-Jaintia hills before introducing the ILP, a travel document issued to Indian citizens from mainland states to enter and stay in certain designated northeastern states.
Centre’s concern over ILP
The Meghalaya government’s proposal for introducing the ILP in the state is pending with the Union Home Ministry.
The ministry’s main reservation for introducing the ILP in Meghalaya is that the state is a transit point for non-ILP areas like Tripura and the Barak Valley districts of Assam, sources in the Meghalaya government said.
The Centre’s concern is that the ILP in Meghalaya would create hindrance for those using the state as a transit point.
