The opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) has strongly criticised the Meghalaya government over its handling of the ongoing water crisis in Shillong, stating that the administration’s response has been inadequate and lacking urgency.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh expressed disappointment over what he termed as the government’s unthoughtful action, which allegedly deprived residents of Shillong of nearly one week of water supply.
“The Voice of the People Party condemns the unthoughtful action done by the Government to deprive the residents of Shillong of nearly one week of water supply,” Myrboh said.
While acknowledging that emergencies can occur, the VPP spokesperson stressed that the government’s response should have been swift and proactive, reflecting the seriousness of the situation.
Myrboh further emphasised that access to water is a fundamental right, directly linked to the right to life, and should have been treated with greater responsibility by the authorities to minimise public hardship.
“Since accessibility to water constitutes the right to life, the government should have attended the matter with great responsibility to save the people from great hardships,” he added.
The VPP also underlined the need for the concerned department to explore temporary arrangements to ensure uninterrupted water supply to the affected localities.
“The department concerned should have worked out a temporary solution to provide water supply to the people,” Myrboh stated.