UDP promises end to corruption

From a Correspondent

SHILLONG, Feb 19: The principal Opposition party in Meghalaya, United Democratic Party’s (UDP), has promised a corruption-free government to be marked by good governce, affordable education and healthcare, women and children’s security, employment for youth and sustaible development.

“It is a pro-people manifesto. We mean business. We’re serious with the way the government is going today. The government is in debt it can’t even pay power bills to the NEEPCO. It can’t pay the contactors,” UDP working president Bindo Matthew Lanong said.

Lanong also said that if his party comes to power, in the first two-three month of its rule it will take austerity measures.   

Shella legislator and party president Dr Donkupar Roy said that some of the assurances made in the manifesto do not involve fincial implications. “We can implement such promises in our first year in power itself,” Dr Roy said. 

“Combating corruption shall be our endeavour. Institutions of Lokayukta and Ombudsman shall be welcomed,” the manifesto said.

The manifesto also envisages a holistic revamp and upgrading in education, agriculture, environment protection and conservation, health roads, protection of state boundaries and people including influx prevention among other sectors.

Dr Roy also said that the UDP would provide free education to students from BPL families even as he added that if there was delay on the part of the Centre to release grant for teachers, the state the government should pay from the corpus fund. 

The UDP manifesto also promised to tone up the bureaucracy at all levels, a policy of incentivizing performers and discouraging non-performers will be adopted.

“Frequent, irratiol and whimsical postings and transfers will be done away with,” the UDP manifesto states.

On the issue of influx, the UDP said that it was a multi-dimensiol subject. “We’ve ,therefore, advocated for a multi-pronged approach and practical measures need to be adopted,” West Shillong MLA and UDP leader Paul Lyngdoh said.

According to the party’s manifesto the anti-infiltration directorate will be suitably toned up to ensure its maximum efficacy.

“Cases of harbouring illegal immigrants will be tried by special fast track courts, set up to deal with the mece,” the manifesto states.

On the contentious issue of mining, the UDP stated that judicious mining of minerals will be taken up under the legal provision of the MMDR Act. On the long-pending border dispute with Assam, the UDP assured that it shall relentlessly make efforts to settle the long-pending border issues with its neighbour.