Acts in Meghalaya not in gazette form: CSWO

A Correspondent

Shillong, July 19: The Civil Society Women’s Organisation (CSWO) president Agnes Kharshiing today alleged that many Acts in Meghalaya are not in gazette form.

“I have written to the Chief Minister to initiate a CBI inquiry into this. The CM though has not taken any interest in initiating an inquiry and did not even bother to reply,” Kharshiing said in a press statement today.

The CSWO president alleged that the entire gazette volume of 1972 in the government press is missing.

According to her, a manual was brought out in 1993 by the then Commissioner and Secretary Personnel & AR Department - who later became Chief Secretary of the State – where some Acts which are missing now have been mentioned.

One such is the “Meghalaya Ministers Allowances and Privileges Act 1972”.

“I sought an RTI from the Meghalaya Assembly Secretariat with regards to this Act mentioned in the Manual. The reply was that the Acts were destroyed when the Assembly was burnt down,” Kharshiing said.

According to her, the Assembly Secretariat furnished an Act in another me - ‘Meghalaya (Ministers Salaries and Allowances Act 1972)’ which, however, was not in gazette form.

“The word ‘Privileges’ is not there. Even the Law department does not have this origil Act and wondered where I got it from. I got it, as you can see, from this Secretariat manual of the State of Meghalaya sold in the Government Press,” she said.