Adelbert threatened to fast unto death

SHILLONG, MAY 5:  Exerting pressure on the state government to pass the KHAD (Village Administration) Bill, 2014 within ten days,  KHADC Chief Executive Member  Adelbert Nongrum on Tuesday threatened to staged a ‘fast unto death’ if the state government fails to get the governor’ assent to the bill that is pending with the state government..

In a letter submitted to the chief minister on Tuesday, Nongrum said, “I will be left with no other option but to lay down my life by staging a fast unto death programme for which the state government will be solely and wholly responsible.”

Serving a ten-day deadline, Nongrum demanded  that the state government must immediately pass the Village Administration Bill and requested to get the Governor assent to the bill at the earliest.

Referring to the Meghalaya High Court ruling issued on December 10, last year derecognizing the powers of the Rangbah Shnong, Nongrum said, “These past few weeks have been very difficult, trying and testing times for me, not as an individual, but as a democratically elected representative of the people.”

Nongrum argued in the letter that the high court ruling has affected the traditional institutions and the headmen. He also demanded that the state government not to legislate laws concerning the ‘Rangbah Shnongs’ or headmen since this is a subject of the district council.

Nongrum said, “Any attempt to come up with such law can and will be seen as an attempt to demean and usurp the constitutional rights of the District council.”

Nongrum also included in his letter the demand that the state government put on hold the enrolment drive for the enrolment of voters in the state electoral roll immediately till the village administration bill is passed.- By Our Reporter