SHILLONG, JAN 13: The Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) on Tuesday demanded constitution of a ‘Regional Council’ in the jurisdiction of the KHADC in order to represent the existing traditional institutions.
A delegation of the HYNF led by its general secretary Sadon K Blah met the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) chief executive member Adelbert Nongrum to discuss the issue.
“We demand KHADC take steps by appropriate legislation in consultation with the state government to constitute the Regional Council,” Blah told reporters after the meeting. According to him, as mandated by the Constitution, under Para 2 (2) of the Sixth Schedule, there is a parallel provision for the constitution of the Regional Councils.
The decision to demand for a regional council came in the wake of the recent ruling of the Meghalaya High Court. The December 10, 2014 – order passed by the Meghalaya High Court came as a big blow to the entire traditional system in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region.
The court order not only questioned the role and functions of the traditional headmen but has even directed the state government and its district administration not to indulge or ask people to obtain NOC from headmen.
Blah said, “Having a regional council will prevent further belittling of the existing system of traditional administration.” He also pointed out that this was also mentioned in Para 2 (6) of the Constitution which provides that for the first constitution of District Councils and Regional Councils, it must be in consultation with the existing tribal councils or other representative tribal organizations’ for making rules relating to membership and elections.
Expressing concerned over the court order, Blah said, the recent order of the High Court has reduce our age old practice of grass root and party less democracy such as the dorbar hima, dorbar raid and dorbar shnong into ‘total insignificance’.
“The said judiciary was able to do so because of the lethargy of the previous executive committees (ECs) of the three district councils existing in the state,” Blah said adding “The lethargy is specific to the fact that all previous ECs of the ADCs in the state have never taken any steps to embody the existing traditional institutions, operating as per our traditional rights and customs, within the constitution by empowering them under the Sixth Schedule.”
Blah added that so far there has never been a statutory or mandatory consultation either by the KHADC or even the state government with the tribal councils and organizations that historically exist in the state.
“This in spite of the fact that the tribal councils have acceded to the Union of India as per the term and conditions of the instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement,” Blah stated.
He, however, said that the creation of the regional council will give the Hynniewtrep people what is due to them, that is, their identity, customs and traditions and the KHADC will really protect and preserve what it has so far claimed to protect and preserve.
The HNYF suggested that members of the proposed Regional Council should be drawn from among the existing Dorbar Hima, Dorbar Raid and Dorbar Shnong. “This will result in the embodiment of the traditional system of administration within the provision of the Constitution,” Blah asserted.
Meanwhile, Nongrum assured the delegation that the matter would be taken up in the executive committee for examination.- By Our Reporter
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