SHILLONG: After failing to get desired response to its call for week-long picket of government offices and financial institutions on Day one and two, the HSPDP on Thursday decided to temporarily suspend its agitation saying “people are confused about the issue” — the High court ruling derecognizing powers of headmen.
“We have decided to temporarily suspend our agitation. We will go to the masses to enlighten them of this matter,” the HSPDP vice-president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said here on Thursday.
He said that the party was planning to start an awareness campaign from next week by holding public rallies in various parts of Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
The HSPDP vice-president, however, made it clear that the party would not hesitate to resume its agitation “if the Government fails to respond to our demands.”
While refusing to admit that there was a poor response to the office picketing called by the party, he maintained that there were reports of low attendance of the staff in all Government offices. The state government had approved the Meghalaya Local Administration (Empowerment of Traditional Institutions, Traditional Bodies and Headmen in Governance and Public Delivery System) Ordinance, 2015, which seeks to provide a legal mandate to the association of traditional institutions in government development programmes and delivery of public services.