Hynniewtrep land in HYC proposal

SHILLONG, JUNE 18: Inclusion of the creation of separate ‘Hynniewtrep-land’ and implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) are among the 15-point proposal of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) which it felt will protect the indigenous community’s rights and interest.

The proposals which have been printed in the form of pamphlets and released by its leaders at the general executive council (GEC) meeting held in Mawlai on Saturday.

According to the leaders, the pamphlets will be distributed to the people, including government offices, educational institutions across the six districts of Khasi-Jaintia region, for soliciting their views and suggestions within 3 months.

“The idea is to arrive at a consensus before demanding from the state and central governments and Autonomous District Councils for implementation of the proposals which concerns the indigenous community,” HYC general secretary Robertjune Kharjahrin told reporters after the meeting.

Elaborating on the proposals, Kharjahrin said that the council has proposed to demand the creation of separate state for the Khasi-Jaintia which will preferably called the ‘Hynniewtrep land’.

Quoting leaders like BB Lyngdoh and Purno A Sangma, Kharjahrin said, “Small is beautiful.”

He said that demand is made in the backdrop of the Instrument of Accession (IOA) and Annexed Accession (AA) signed by the Khasi states, which is still relevant today as it is yet to be implemented by the centre.

Another reason cited by him was the conflict of interest between the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo people.

The HYC has also proposed to demand the implementation of the Inner Liner Permit (ILP) as per Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation Act, 1973 to curb the flow of illegal migrants into the state.

However stating that ILP alone will not be able to tackle the problem, Kharjahrin said that the council has decided to propose other mechanisms which include amendment of the Interstate Migrant Workmen Act, Trading and Business Permit for non-indigenous people, residential permit for immigrants, prohibition and detection of benami transaction and others.

He said that the state government has always claim that there is lack of local workforce and thereby has to depend on labourers from outside the state.

“We therefore seek amendment to the existing interstate migrant workmen Act, by asking the state government to maintain records of local labourers. If there is need for workforce, we suggest that local labourers should be given first preference,” Kharjahrin said.

On trade and commerce, the HYC leader said the district councils will be demanded to make it mandatory for other indigenous tribes like Mizos and Nagas to apply trading license.

In view of the rampant issuing of trading license, he also said that it is time that the district councils should maintain records of the trades engaged by local indigenous people and ensure that no trading license are given to non-indigenous people on such trades.

“We also propose to the ADCs to declare a number of markets including Iewduh as ‘special economic zones’ which will be only for local indigenous people,” he added.

Further, the council also proposed the 1971 as the cut off year. However during the meeting, few opinions were raised that the cut off year should be 1951.

“We will be examining and taking views of the people before giving a final decision on the matter. But whoever stays in the state before either 1971 or 1951 will have to apply inner line permit,” Kharjahrin said.

He also said that the council has also propose to demand the centre and state governments to come up with a legislation to ensure political rights of local indigenous people is protected. “We want voting rights be given only to genuine residents of the state,” he added.

Apart from this, creating a separate tribunal to trial indigenous related cases, deletion of Para 12 (A) from the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, resolving the age old interstate boundary disputes, inclusion of Khasi language in the Eight Schedule were some of the proposals highlighted in the pamphlet.-By Our Reporter