Govt to meet shortly to decide on GHADC polls

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Cabinet will convene a meeting soon to discuss the issue of holding elections to the GHADC in the wake of the suggestion from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs that the government should not wait for the amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to hold the polls since the process of amendment will take a long period of time.
A State Home department official informed The Shillong Times on Sunday that the District Council Affairs department will have to act on the MHA suggestion and obtain necessary Cabinet approval for holding the much-delayed GHADC polls.
Earlier on Thursday, Joint Secretary in charge Northeast, Ministry of Home Affairs, Shambhu Singh, had conveyed the need to hold the GHADC elections to Meghalaya Additional Chief Secretary K.S. Kropha and ANVC-ANVC-B leaders during their meeting in New Delhi.
According to Singh, since the amendment to the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution will take more time, this should not be linked to holding of elections to the GHADC.
The State Government had delayed the elections to the GHADC since February, 2014 by stating one reason or another including citing pending amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution which will increase the seats of GHADC from the current 30 to 40.
However, with the stand of MHA now clear vis-à-vis the GHADC elections, the State government is left with no alternative other than announcing elections to the 30 seats in the GHADC.