Shillong, October 6: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday said the Meghalaya government will not tolerate illegal collection of money from trucks, but stressed that any action must be based on concrete evidence rather than allegations alone.
Responding to the alleged illegal collection recently flagged by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Sangma said the government is clear that such activities should not be allowed to take place. “We are very clear that in a situation like this, we want to ensure that none of these activities take place and action should be taken. Therefore, we are very firm and very clear on that,” he said.
The chief minister, however, said the government cannot initiate action merely on the basis of accusations without supporting evidence. “In a situation like this, obviously we need to work on specific proof and we cannot simply go on allegations. Therefore, action has to be based on evidence,” Sangma said.
He assured that the government has acted whenever credible information regarding such practices has been brought to its notice and would continue to do so in the future. “Whenever we find such a situation, wherever such a thing is happening, and whenever any kind of information has come to us, we have taken action. In future also, if the need arises, we will take action,” he said.
Sangma further stressed that due process must be followed before arriving at any conclusion. “We have to ensure that all the facts and figures are looked into and all the evidence is there. One simply cannot jump to a conclusion and say that this is happening. We have to work on evidence,” he said.
Reiterating the government’s stand, the chief minister said any form of illegal collection would not be permitted. “We are very clear on our stand that this kind of activity will not be allowed. If we find such activities taking place, we will take action,” Sangma added.
