SHILLONG, MARCH 19: Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma on Tuesday declined to place the draft of the agreement reached between the two ANVCs, Centre and the state government on ending the Garo problem in the state Assembly on the plea that it was awaiting the approval of the Union cabinet.
Replying to a starred question raised by James K Sangma of the NPP on the status of negotiation between the ANVC and the government, the chief minister said the four parties had held a meeting under the chairmanship of the Centre-appointed interlocutor on January 5, 2013 and arrived at a settlement, but the agreed text is yet to be approved by the Union cabinet.
Mukul hinted that that the text of the final agreement will contain some modifications, particularly with regards to the powers of all the three autonomous district councils. ““(The state) cabinet had passed the agreement after the final round of (tripartite) meeting. Whatever has been drafted has been done keeping in mind the likely fallout in the other two district councils… The district councils will be having more powers,” he said.
The Garo agreement is understood to contain 13 points, including giving more powers to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, increasing the fund flow to various departments under it and transfer of some more departments to the council.
Notably, after voices demanding similar powers to the other two autonomous councils in the state were raised, the state cabinet, while giving its approval to the text of the Garo agreement, also recommended that both the KHADC and the JHADC should similarly be strengthened. (By Our Reporter)
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