Increase in ADCs seats

SHILLONG, JAN 13: The Meghalaya government has submitted its proposal to the union government on the need to increase the number of seats in the three Autonomous District Councils in the state.

Earlier, the government has also granted the extension of the term of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) to another six months and 15 days for the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) each.

Once the proposals get the centre’s nod, the total number of seats in all the ADCs would increase which will happen only after the agreed text settlement between the centre, state government and the Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) is approved, Meghalaya commissioner and secretary in-charge of political department  Jopthiaw Lyngdoh told reporters on Monday.

According to Lyngdoh, the state government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the KHADC from 29 to 40 seats in the JHADC to 34. He informed that the centre has sought for more clarification on the composition of the ADCs as proposed in the text settlement agreement.

“The centre has sought the clarification since it is fully aware that if the composition in the GHADC is increase then the same would be replicated to the other two ADCs in the state,” Lyngdoh said.

Stating that state government had also submitted its views to the Ministry of Home Affairs on the matter, Lyngdoh  said, “The government had also outlined on the need to have uniformity on issue related to increase in the number of seats similar to the GHADC.”

The ANVC had in the text settlement agreement proposed that it wanted direct election in as many as 35 seats from the proposed 40 seats.  While five — comprising two ANVC members, two nokmas (traditional heads) and one woman — would be nominated.

With regards to KHADC and JHADC, Lyngdoh said, “The KHADC will also conduct elections in 35 seats while 5 seats will be nominated but in JHADC elections will held for 29 seats and the remaining five members would be nominated.”

Out of the five nominated seats in the JHADC and KHADC-one seat would be appointed from among the minority communities like the Marngars, one seat would be appointed from among the traditional heads and one seat would be reserve for women.

Lyngdoh concluded by saying that the government would now have to decide on only two nominated seats. – By Our Reporter