CEM questions delay in passing of bills

SHILLONG: The number of bills passed by the KHADC that were stuck at the District Council Affairs (DCA) department has irked Shylla.
“Why are the bills passed from the District Council not received the accent of the Governor? The Bills are all in the political parties’ hands but till date, not a single bill has been approved,” he told reporters on Friday.
He rued that the same parties are in the state government and the Executive Committee (EC) of the KHADC but no effort was made to push the bills.
Asserting that the Secretariat is shrouded in darkness, he pointed to Para 12 (a) of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, he said the laws made by the District council to the extent of repugnancy, be void and the law made by the Legislature of the State of Meghalaya shall prevail.
“Looking at the present situation, district council is treated as a department of the state government. Are law officers in the Law department are elected representative to study our Bill. This is why Meghalaya is still backward?” he said.
He expressed resentment that most of the Bills of the KHADC should have been forwarded forthwith to the Governor.
He said the Bills were instead forwarded from the Secretariat of the Governor to the Legislative wing of the District Council to submit through the DCA.
“We see the chief minister is glad over the landmark amendment whereas the state government still treats the Autonomous District Council as the state government’s department,” he said.
“I still feel it is an insult to contest elections in the face of such problems,” he remarked as he reiterated his stand to not contest elections.
He went on to state that the word autonomous should have been removed and instead say it is just a department in the Secretariat as he alleged there is no respect for the autonomy of the District Council.
Shylla said the Bill passed by the KHADC – the Bill on ILP, Lineage Bill and the Clan Bill is with the DCA.
“Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim has ILP. Where is Meghalaya? Only ILP will protect the minority people and that Bill was not allowed to get the accent of the Governor,” he said.