A fresh controversy has surfaced in Meghalaya following the non-conduct of the central government's People's Plan Campaign across the Garo Hills region. Bernard N. Marak, Member of the District Council from Tura, has formally addressed Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who oversees the Home and District Council Affairs portfolios, demanding prompt corrective steps. The communication highlights that the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) along with local administrative authorities failed to roll out the planned campaign on October 2, while also allowing mandatory review meetings under the Tripartite Agreement to lapse.
Lapse in Conducting Scheduled Gram Sabhas and Securing Public Input
According to Marak, the central government had specifically scheduled the People's Plan Campaign to take place on October 2 via Gram Sabhas organized throughout the Garo Hills. The fundamental goal of this grassroots initiative is to ensure citizen involvement, gather community viewpoints, and incorporate local development project proposals directly into official administrative planning. Under the established framework, designated organizers are obligated to prepare a structured agenda aligned with the Panchayat Niyam, record and upload operational information onto the central PPC digital portal, and mobilize participants including local residents, line department representatives, community leaders, key influencers, and special guests. This process also requires robust publicity, designated venues, and IEC awareness drives.
Marak pointed out that none of these obligatory steps were implemented on the ground. Neither the GHADC nor individual block administrations convened any Gram Sabhas on October 2. Furthermore, elected council members received no prior notice, and no documentation of proceedings was submitted to the central portal. Characterizing this lapse as a deliberate exclusion of the public and an outright breach of central directives, Marak urged the Deputy Chief Minister to issue prompt directives requiring block administrators and the GHADC to conduct the campaign transparently, backed by comprehensive advance notice to citizens and key stakeholders.
Neglect of Tripartite Agreement Review Sessions
In his letter, Marak also brought focus to the stalled monitoring framework governing the Tripartite Agreement, an accord to which he is a signatory. He stressed that the terms of the agreement explicitly mandate review sessions every two months to track the status of implementation. However, the last such gathering took place on September 26, 2025. In the subsequent period spanning over a year, not a single review session has been scheduled or held.
Describing this prolonged inaction as a flagrant breach of institutional commitments by the GHADC and associated bodies, Marak requested that a formal review session be summoned at Tura without further postponement to enforce regulatory compliance and restore trust among participating stakeholders.
Demand for Administrative Action and Warning of Legal Recourse
The Tura MDC laid out two distinct demands before the Deputy Chief Minister: an immediate order instructing the GHADC and block officials to execute the People's Plan Campaign in Garo Hills with extensive civic participation, and the immediate scheduling of the overdue Tripartite Agreement implementation meeting in Tura. Marak cautioned that should the authorities fail to address these lapses expeditiously, he would be left with no choice but to pursue legal remedies against the continued violation of formal agreements and statutory responsibilities.
