Shillong: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma set the record straight on Thursday. Families of five victims from the Lapalang well asphyxiation incident received aid through the Chief Minister’s Special Grant. They did not get money from the State Disaster Management Fund. This move came after VPP chief and Nongkrem MLA Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit accused the government of denying assistance. Basaiawmoit argued the state acted with partiality. He compared the case to a January 14 coal mine blast in East Jaintia Hills and a pipeline incident in West Bengal on August 17.
Basaiawmoit demanded to know the specific criteria for these payments. He pressed the government to rethink the Lapalang case. Families lost their primary breadwinners. Sangma hit back at claims that no money was paid. He stated the state fund covers only natural disasters under the State Disaster Response Fund rules. It cannot legally pay for accidents. Instead, the Chief Minister’s Secretariat used discretionary cash. Payments were sent quietly without media fanfare.
The government prioritized results over noise. Sangma noted that he felt helping families mattered more than making announcements. He explained why he kept it private. "The issue was sensitive," he said, because setting a standard payout for every single accident creates a difficult precedent. The government continues to manage these tragic cases on an individual basis.
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