SHILLONG, MAY 6: Calling it a “direct betrayal of the people,” the Hynniewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) has hit out at the MDA Government over the sharp jump in the New Shillong Township Water Supply Project cost from Rs 321 crore to Rs 770 crore.

HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem, in a statement on Wednesday, said the Rs 450 crore escalation points to “gross financial mismanagement, lack of planning, administrative incompetence, and complete failure of coordination” among government departments.

“It is unacceptable that a project conceptualised in 2014 at Rs 321 crore has now ballooned to Rs 770 crore, allegedly due to reasons which the Government itself admits were not properly anticipated earlier,” the council said.

“Such excuses only reveal negligence and failure in governance at the expense of public money.”

The HYC questioned why feasibility studies were not done properly before the project was approved and asked who would be held responsible for the cost overrun.

“Why should taxpayers bear the burden of administrative failures and poor foresight?” Synrem asked.

The statement flagged the timing of the escalation, noting that Meghalaya is still grappling with unemployment, poor road conditions, water shortages, inadequate healthcare and gaps in basic infrastructure. The unchecked rise in project costs, it said, raises “serious concerns regarding transparency, accountability, and possible misuse of public funds.”

“Public money is not the private property of any Government or contractor. Every rupee wasted due to incompetence or mismanagement is a direct betrayal of the people of Meghalaya,” Synrem said.

The HYC urged the government to ensure accountability, transparency, and responsible governance” and to stop treating public funds “casually.