Council wants Village Administration Bill cleared at the earliest
SHILLONG:KHADC CEM Adelbert Nongrum met District Council Affairs Minister HDR Lyngdoh on Wednesday to impress upon him the need to approve the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Village Administration) Bill, 2014 at the earliest.
Informing this here on Wednesday, Nongrum said that the DCA Minister has assured that he would look into the matter.
The KHADC CEM said that in view of the recent High Court ruling involving traditional heads, the passing of the bill is the need of the hour as it aims to streamline, protect and empower the traditional institutions, especially the Dorbar Shnong in conformity with the prevailing traditional system and customs of the Khasi community.
It may be mentioned that in June last year, the KHADC had passed and submitted the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Village Administration) Bill, 2014 to the State government’s DCA department for approval and getting the assent of the Governor.
When asked about the demand of the UDP and the traditional heads to redraft the bill, Nongrum said that the Council is open to the idea if major discrepancies are pointed out in the present bill.
“If there are no major flaws, they can always bring an amendment after it (bill) becomes an Act following the assent of the Governor,” the KHADC CEM added.
In the recent meeting called by the UDP to deliberate on the High Court ruling on traditional heads, it was decided that a five-member committee to be headed by the party’s working president Bindo M Lanong would be constituted to suggest changes in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Village Administration) Bill.
Lanong, who felt that the bill had serious anomalies, had said that once the necessary changes are suggested, the KHADC would be given a month’s time to resubmit the bill to the state government for its approval.
The UDP working president did not agree with clause 6 of the bill which speaks about the ceremony of ‘tehrangbah’ wherein the sons of a village who attain the age of 18 have to be recognized by the Dorbar Shnong. This according to Lanong was an unnecessary inclusion.
Clauses in the bill which talk about the need of having a village development council (VDC) which will function under the Dorbar Shnong for the purpose of implementation of all the development schemes and programmes of the government was also questioned.