Shillong, May 06: The Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) strongly condemns the shocking escalation in the cost of the New Shillong Township (NST) Water Supply Project from Rs 321 crore to an astounding Rs 770 crore under the MDA Government.
This massive increase of nearly Rs 450 crore exposes gross financial mismanagement, lack of planning, administrative incompetence, and complete failure of coordination within the Government departments concerned.
It is unacceptable that a project conceptualised in 2014 at Rs 321 crore has now ballooned to Rs 770 crore, allegedly due to reasons which the Government itself admits were not properly anticipated earlier. Such excuses only reveal negligence and failure in governance at the expense of public money.
The HYC questions: Who will be held accountable for this reckless cost escalation?Why were feasibility studies and planning not properly conducted before approval? Why should taxpayers bear the burden of administrative failures and poor foresight?
At a time when the people of Meghalaya continue to face unemployment, poor roads, water shortages, inadequate healthcare, and lack of basic infrastructure, such uncontrolled inflation of project costs raises serious concerns regarding transparency, accountability, and possible misuse of public funds.
Public money is not the private property of any Government or contractor. Every rupee wasted due to incompetence or mismanagement is a direct betrayal of the people of Meghalaya.
The HYC reiterates that the Government must stop treating public funds casually and ensure accountability, transparency, and responsible governance, said Mr. Roykupar Synrem in his press statement issued to the media.
