SHILLONG: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) moved a resolution to rename the district council.
Speaking on Day 1 of the winter session on Tuesday, KHADC chief HS Shylla said ‘united’ denotes unification of the 25 Khasi states with the erstwhile British area of the Khasi-Jaintia District.
The KHADC has proposed that the council be called the United Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council.
Shylla said the word ‘united’ was deleted after the creation of the Jowai Autonomous District on November 23, 1964.
There was also an amendment to Para 20 of the Sixth Schedule ‘United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District’ was replaced with ‘Khasi Hills District’ and the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council became KHADC in 1978.
Shylla asserted that it is necessary to restore the word ‘united’ to maintain the district council’s historic, legal and constitutional entity and rights as the protector, custodian and authority over Khasi customary and traditional land rights, traditional system of administration among other inalienable rights of the tribe.
The KHADC, through the resolution, urged the state government to make necessary notification in the Gazette of Meghalaya to give effect to the same through the District Council Affairs Department.