Dispur (Assam): While people have complimented the government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for the ongoing war against drugs and the government's claim of near resolving the inter-state border issues with Meghalaya, there are sections who have pointed out the allegations of fake encounters on the government and the increased loan burden on the state as some failures of the government.
The government led by Sarma that assumes charge in May last year went full steam against the drugs smuggling and smugglers and arrested a total of 4,834 drug paddlers within one year. The law enforcers have been able to seize drugs and psychotropic substances worth Rs. 548.53 crore within this period and the tenure also recorded registration of 2834 cases across the state in this regard-a development that definitely deserves credit.
As promised in their manifesto, the BJP government had also taken up laudable efforts to free about 8.72 lakh women in the state from microfinance loans, giving them much-needed relief. The government's initiative to stop cattle smuggling by enacting a new law also deserves credit, feel sections of people.
While the second BJP government in Assam also provided succour to the people, particularly people in remote areas, by simplifying the land and revenue regulation through Mission Basundhara, it also achieved a milestone in solving the vexed inter-state boundary conflicts with Meghalaya. Mission Basundhara enabled people to buy and sell their own land in a hassle-free and transparent manner by removing the red-tapism and middlemen.
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While the inter-state border issue with Meghalaya is nearly sorted out the government has also initiated the process with states like Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram to solve the vexed border issue, which has often led to skirmishes between people in both the states. In what may be called yet another achievement of the government is the fact that it has been able to raise the stake of the Assam government in the Numaligarh Refinery Limited to 26 per cent, a move which is expected to impact the state's economy in the days to come.
Against these achievements of the government, there are also some developments, which are dubbed as failures of the BJP led government, which has just completed one year in office. Foremost among them is the fact that the government had obtained a loan to the tune of Rs. 15,271 crore within the first year in office, which has raised the per capita loan burden on people.
While the Assam government had a loan burden of Rs. 41,964 crore till the 2016 fiscal, the state's loan burden has increased to Rs. 1,08,347 crore till 2022. Although there is no harm in taking loans for developmental works, experts feel that a huge loan burden might jeopardise the state's economy in the long run.
The government's war against drug peddlers has also been termed as fake encounters by a section of people. While the seizure of drugs and arrest of peddlers are being welcomed, the government had drawn flakes in the past year as most of the drug peddlers were killed in encounters, in every case, either while attempting to escape from police or trying to attack the policemen while in custody.
The allegations of the fake encounters in Assam have taken such a serious turn that National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had to intervene and seek reports from the state's DGP and Chief Secretary in this regard. The BJP led government in Assam had also been facing a legal suit at the Gauhati High Court in this regard.
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