SHANTI
SHARMA,GANGTOK
Governor Shri Balmiki Prasad Sharma laid the
foundation of the new State Secretariat building at Tashiding on March 1, almost
one and half year after the existing Secretariat suffered heavy damages
due to the 18/09/11 earthquake. The building suffered extensive damage on
account of the 18 September, 2011 earthquake rendering it unsafe, necessitating
demolition and fresh construction.
Further, after that disaster, the Chief
Minister was forced to leave the building and shift his office to Samman Bhawan
near his official residence. And other offices in the building were shifted to
the newly built Mannan Kendra and other official buildings in the surroundings
of Gangtok.
As a concerned and aggrieved people of
Sikkim, we only want our State Government to give us some reasonable ground as
in why the construction of that Secretariat building was not started
immediately? What took us so long to prepare ourselves for taking some quick
steps for the aforesaid problem? As it is already mentioned in the above
paragraph that the building was unsafe, necessitating demolition and fresh
construction still the Government did not find it worth to construct it till date.
Is this because of the red-tapism followed by the bureaucratic machinery or the
unconcerned nature of State Government is again a query to be solved.
And another sad and surprising thing that we
came to know is that the work is awarded to a Kolkata based firm on turn-key
basis for Consultancy, Design, Drawing and Execution. Further, the building
Block A Phase I (Part A) has been targeted to be completed in all respects by
October end 2014 and ready for accommodation within the month of November 2014.
Remaining in power for 18 and half long years,
is not the government able to create efficient Firms in our state?
Infrastructural development should be the first and foremost duty of any
responsible Government .Educated youth is an asset of the Nation and claiming
to be one of the developed state, Government should value the citizens and
appreciate their work. Our people should get opportunity in every type of
project that would exist in our society.
Our localities should get chance in the process of our State building. Why the
work was not given to our own people is what makes us discontented. If the
Government wants to ensure that there was a need of an experienced group for this project ,then we
want to know that who reaches to that level of experience without getting an
opportunity to work as a fresher. Thus, Sikkimese people should be in a
priority list while allocating any project related to our state. Our people
would understand the requirement of our Secretariat in a better way than any
other party. As the State Secretariat is seen as a place from where the State
is governed and a symbol of State’s power and authority. Thus, to retain that
symbol and authority, it would be a well judged decision to give the work to
our own local hands. It would also ensure that the essence of our culture and heritage is not sidelined.
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