SHILLONG: The public consultation on the draft Tenancy Bill scheduled to be held at Tura on December 6 has been postponed in view of the ongoing examinations and the upcoming Christmas festival.
Informing this here on Tuesday, Community and Rural Development Minister Prestone Tyngsong said the date for the next meeting would be announced soon. Tyngsong heads the Ministerial Committee on the draft Tenancy Bill.
The Committee could hold only one meeting here last month and the same was marred by protesting students who vehemently opposed the draft bill and even tore copies of it after staging a walk-out.
Even though the 13 pro-ILP groups are firm on their opposition to the proposed Tenancy Bill, Tyngsong said, “We will continue with the consultation as we want to elicit views from all sections of the society ranging from NGOs, to traditional heads and students.”
Stating that consultation is the only way to resolve the current imbroglio in the state, Tyngsong said that the reason for holding such public consultations is to bring about a mechanism which can stand tall against all odds.
“The Committee has seen the flaws in the Bill and it can take decision to temporarily call off the public consultation and recommend to the State Government to explore the possibility of re-drafting the bill to suit the interest of the indigenous tribes,” he said.
With the upcoming festivities in the state, the public consultation, in all likelihood, will be postponed till next year.
Earlier, Justine Dkhar, a member of the Committee, had stated that it might not proceed with any further consultations and the whole exercise might be called off.