SHILLONG: The chief executive member of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, HS Shylla, has demanded that Blocks I and II along the border with Assam should be brought back under Meghalaya and sought the Centre’s intervention in this matter.
Speaking to reporters after the Dorbar Hima at Fifth Ground, Polo, on Friday, Shylla said, “How did we lose Block I and Block II? We are on the job to restore Block I and Block II to the KHADC. Our people there are suffering. It is the high-handedness of the then Assam government. We will consult legal experts on the matter.”
He pointed out that according to Article 1 of the Constitution, the territory of India consists of the territories of the states, the union territories and any territory that may be acquired.
“Khasi states do not fall under the category of union territories or of the state and it was not acquired. We were only incorporated by the Constitution in the First Schedule. The Constitution guarantees that we’re part and parcel of this nation,” Shylla said.
“Our demand is to restore Block I and Block II from the Assam government and the Centre will have to intervene,” he added.
A year after the Khasi state became a part of India, Blocks I and II were cut off by the power of the governor as per Para 3 (e) of the Sixth Schedule excluding the areas from the United Khasi and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council and including in the United Mikir and North Cachar Hills district.
“Sixth Schedule is very powerful. After it was introduced, they took Paragraph 3 (e) which speaks about the power of the governor to diminish the area of autonomous district council,” he said.
Mylliem Syiemship is one of the 25 Khasi states and Meghalaya was made a part of India on January 26, 1950 since it is by the Constitution, he said.
Blocks I and II covering an area of 1,54,742 sqkm falls under the 12 areas of differences between Meghalaya and Assam.
