City headmen to defy HC order on NOC

SHILLONG: Virtually defying the High Court ruling, the headmen of Greater Shillong region have decided to continue to issue NOC to residents “who are in need of such certificates”.
This far reaching decision was taken under the banner of “Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong”, which met here on Saturday for considering the ramification of the High Court ruling stripping the “unreasonable” power exercised by the Rangbah Shnong.
“At present, we have been informed that people in majority of the localities are still coming to the Rangbah Shnong with the request for issuing of the residential certificates for opening of bank accounts and other purposes,” the SKRS president Dr Werlok Kharshiing told newsmen after the meeting of the organisation.
“The people who genuinely require these certificates are facing real difficulties since many of the Rangbah Shnongs have decided not to issue certificates after the court ruling,” Kharshiing said.
The SKRS president said that they have taken this decision for the overall interest of the general public.
Meanwhile, the SKRS vice president H Syiem informed that so far the organization has not received any official letter from any authorities directing the Rangbah Shnong not to issue certificates.
“The Headmen also were not served with the copies of the court ruling. We have come to know about the ruling only through the newspapers,” Syiem said.
The High Court of Meghalaya, it may be recalled, in its order emphasized the need to put an end to parallel government existing in the state and directed the state government not to indulge in or ask people to obtain NOC from headmen who do not have constitutional or legal leg.