SHILLONG: The Movement for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Livelihood, Meghalaya (MIPRL) has set a week’s deadline to KHADC to issue an Executive Order empowering headmen to issue certificates failing which the MIPRL threatened public agitation.
Farmers and students are worst affected due to the stalemate following the restriction imposed on headmen by the High Court of Meghalaya as they are not able to avail loans for farming and studies, according to MIPRL.
After a meeting with the KHADC CEM Adelbert Nongrum on Wednesday, the delegation consisting of various headmen, FKJGP, HYC and others led by MIPRL also submitted a memorandum to him giving the deadline of seven days and said that the executive order will enable KHADC to issue residential certificates, other ( certificates, and attestations.
“We are constrained to put a deadline of seven days for issuing the Executive Order and if it is not fulfilled there will be public agitation to fight for the Khasi Jaintia Peoples’ customary and traditional rights of which the KHADC is the custodian”, the MIPRL said.
The MIPRL also said that the Executive Order can be passed under Rule 30 of the District Council rules to empower the headmen to issue certificates to enable the farmers of the state from availing loans under the Kisan Credit Card and other schemes since the certificates of the headmen is an important and integral part of the procedure for obtaining such financial assistance.
“Apart from this, thousands of students are facing problems for their admissions into further studies and the examination process. This constitutes an emergency situation which the provision of Rule 30 can meet in the public interest”, MIPRL said.
Since the Village Administration Bill is still taking a long time for implementation, MIPR said the Executive Order was necessary.
The MIPRL also criticized the demand of regional political parties to issue an ordinance by the State Government which according to the organization is nothing but a surrender of the autonomy of the KHADC since the powers in this regards are vested in it by the sixth schedule to the Constitution of India.
The MIPR said that any delay in empowering the headmen will severely affect the agricultural community of the state at a time when agriculture in the whole of India is going through a crisis resulting in farmers’ suicides and political upheavals.
“It may reach such a dangerous condition where the situation can become unsalvageable resulting in severe unemployment, stagnation of capital creation and economic destruction of the State”, the organization said.
According to MIPRL, the Executive Committee of the KHADC and other Autonomous District Councils have the power to issue the Executive Order based on enabling powers given under Para 3 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India and the emergency powers empowered by Rule 30 read with Rule 28 of the Autonomous District rules and under the United Khasi Jaintia Appointment and Succession of Chiefs and Headmen Act, 1959 since no rules have been framed under this Act.
The power to issue Executive Order by the Executive Committee of an Autonomous District Council in Meghalaya has been confirmed by various rulings of the Supreme Court of India, the MIPRL added.
