Mawkyrwat: The South West Khasi Hills District Administration has informed the Meghalaya Government that land is not available to set up a proposed designated camp for the breakaway faction of A’chik National Volunteers’ Council (ANVC-B).
Highly placed official sources told The Shillong Times on Thursday that Deputy Commissioner of South West Khasi Hills, Mrs. Ripnar Lyngdoh, on Wednesday had written an official letter to the State Government informing that no suitable location was available within the district for the rehabilitation of the ANVC-B cadres.
This was the second time that the Deputy Commissioner had sent an official communiqué to the State Government to say that there was no available land to set-up a designated camp for the outfit, the source said.
“On December 2013, the Government asked the Deputy Commissioner to find out a suitable location within the district to set up a designated camp for the Garo Hills-based militant outfit,” source said, adding that in February, 2014, the DC had written a letter to the government and informed about the unavailability of land in the district.
This has brought much relief to the pressure groups in the district who had strongly opposed the move by the State Government to set up a designated camp for the Garo Hills-based militant outfit in the Khasi Hills region.
It may be mentioned that the South West Khasi Hills Unit of the Khasi Students’ Union had recently demanded from the State Government that the proposal be immediately scrapped. Meanwhile on Thursday, KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit has strongly opposed the decision of the State Government to set up a camp of the ANVC-B in West Khasi Hills District, our Reporter adds.
“This camp, if set up, would create a sense of fear among the common people of the areas,” Basaiawmoit argued.
He also spoke out against the State Government for not consulting the KHADC before proposing to set up the camp in the district which is under the jurisdiction of the Council.
He also reasoned that since the Government was able to neutralize the militants in Khasi and Jaintia Hills the Government should not have any problem in neutralizing the activities of militants in West Khasi Hills.
“We welcome the decision of the Government to bring the ANVC-B to the negotiating table. But at the same time, the Government should be clear on its stand in handling the problem of militancy so that confusion is not created in the minds of the people,” the CEM said, while indicating that he is likely to convene a meeting of all the KHADC MDCs to discuss the contentious issue.
Basaiawmoit also informed that his party (HSPDP) will meet the Government to express their concern on the issue and submit a representation against the move to set up the camp.