Village Admin Bill: HYC, headmen call for amendments

SHILLONG: A consultative meeting convened by the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) with headmen on Saturday made a number of suggestions to be incorporated in the Khasi Hills District (Village Administration) Bill, 2014, passed by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) last year.
The meeting held at the Khasi National Dorbar Hall also resolved to urge the KHADC to either recall or bring amendments to the Village Administration Bill.
Addressing pressmen after the meeting, HYC general secretary Robertjune Kharjahrin said, “There are several discrepancies in the Council’s Bill, which, needs to be looked into by the KHADC.”
“We are concerned over the proposal made in the Village Administration Bill to replace the existing village court with just a ‘conciliatory-body’,” he said while pointing out that the move to constitute the conciliatory body will weaken the powers of the village Dorbar.
According to him as per the Bill, the Dorbar Shnong can no longer summon its subjects indulging in anti-social activities since the function of the conciliatory body is simply to settle and compromise cases.
The meeting further expressed reservations on the proposed constitution of a Village Development Council (VDC) in the Bill which states that all residents who have attained the age of 18 can become its member.
This will further increase the problem of influx, the HYC said.
Kharjahrin suggested that the KHADC should constitute a VDC which functions under the Dorbar Shnong.
The HYC and the traditional heads on Saturday also demanded that the district councils pass an executive order empowering headmen to issue NOC in case the appeal for a stay to the High Court order is not entertained by the Division Bench.