SHILLONG, JULY 17: Indigenous tribal youths from across the Khasi and Jaintia hills district of Meghalaya on Thursday announced the formation of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) even as it immediately demanded the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) to curb influx into the state. The implementation of the ILP is the one of its top demands in their list of agendas.
The HYC’s motto is “Tur Shaphrang Shipai Ka Ri” – march ahead soldiers of the nation.
Having a strength of over 200 members, most of HYC members are former leaders and members of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) from different districts of Khasi and Jaintia Hills region. They either had resigned or been expelled from their union after the controversy over the issue of the Inner Line Permit (ILP).
“The issue of Inner Line Permit (ILP) will be one of the top priorities that will be taken up by the council,” HYC adhoc committee’s convener Donboklang Kharlyngdoh, a former leader of the KSU from Mawlai area who was expelled recently by union’s CEC, told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.
Kharlyngdoh said, “The council’s objective is to preserve and protect the rights and identity of the indigenous people of the state.”According to him, most of the youths of the state still feel that ILP is the main mechanism to tackle and address the sensitive problem of illegal influx into the state.
Kharlyngdoh said, “We are committed, determined and will not in any way compromise on issues that will be taken up by the HYC.”
The decision to form the council was taken at a meeting held on July 12.
Informing that the HYC would soon form its full-fledged central executive committee (CEC), Kharlyngdoh said, “The president and secretary besides other important office bearers of the council will be elected in the upcoming meeting to be held shortly.”
Answering a query, Kharlyngdoh said that they had decided to form the council on death anniversary of U Tirot Sing Syiem, a freedom fighter, so as to follow the footprints of such great personalities who have fought and sacrifice their lives for the cause of our tribal nation.
Stating that constitution of the council is in a drafting stage, Kharlyngdoh said, “We are proposing to release the constitution on the death anniversary of U Woh Kiang Nangbah, a Jaintia freedom fighter on December 30, this year.”
Kharlyngdoh also believed that though he can be expelled from being a member of the KSU but nobody can take away the love and concerned he has for the land. Admitting that the issues of the council are very much similar to that of the KSU, he said, “However, we will improve the approach towards fulfilling them.”
Highlighting on the other issues of the council, the secretary of the council’s adhoc committee, Rhembor Saibon, a former leader of the KSU-Delhi Unit said, “The council is also focusing on the need to have residential permit for non-indigenous people besides work permit and trading license,” adding “We also take up issues relating to the need of strengthening the benami transaction act and land transfer act in the state.”
Asked, Saibon said, “The reason behind terming outsiders as non-indigenous is to ensure that the genuine non indigenous residents of the state are not in any way going to be affected by the demands of the council.”
“The age-old pending inter-state boundary dispute is also a concern for the council and it will also take the issue as one of the major agenda,” Saibon said adding “Apart from this, we will also demand from the state government on the need to come up with mechanism to tackle and address the problem of corruption which is rampant in our state.”
Bringing new issues into the fore front, Saibon further stated, “This time around, we have also decided to fight for the cause of our tribal farmers’ grievances is besides asking the government to have an effective forum to address the problems of consumers.”
Saibon also added that the HYC will try to bring in mechanism to develop the human resource to overcome the problem of unemployment faced by the educated youths of the state.
The formation of the HYC is also seen as a major setback to the KSU. However Kharlyngdoh refused to comment on this by saying that the council has nothing to say on the matter because it doesn’t want to judge others and their action.
Later, the HYC leaders also paid floral tribute to the monument of U Tirot Sing Syiem at State Central Library.- By Our Reporter
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