Meghalaya to face picketing over government appointment

Shillong, Apr 13 (UNI) Meghalaya is heading for a fresh bout of agitation, as the influential Khasi Students Union (KSU) has declared a war cry against the appointment of a former State Chief Secretary as the Chairman of the Meghalaya State Electricity Board (MeSEB).

The state had seen several rounds of intense picketing and bandhs marked by violance last year, mainly on the issue of restructuring of the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE).

The fresh KSU-sponsored three-day office picketing in Shillong will commence on April 18 to voice their resentment over the appointment of Mr P J Bazeley as the MeSEB Chairman.

However, the educational institutions have been exempted from the protest move.

The student organisation has accused the government of 'favouritism' in handing over a new post to Mr Bazeley as they have been maintaining that the state was not short of other 'effcient' officers.

Members of the KSU would picket at the state and central government offices and the financial institutions, KSU President Mr Samuel Jyrwa told UNI here today.

'We are opposing the appointment because there seems to be a hidden agenda in his appointment, while there were many other eligible people,' he said.

'If anything happens to the government servants during the agitation, the state government will be responsible for that,' he said.

Besides the KSU, several other social organisations have also joined the chorus in opposing the appointment. They include the Civil Society Women's Organisation (CSWO), the Federation of Khasi Jaintia Garo People (FKJGP) and the Hynniewtrep National Youth Federation.

According to sources in the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), a number of MLAs were also opposed to MR Bazeley's appointment.

UNI SG BA AKP1139