TURA: The United Garo Autonomous Council Movement Committee (UGACMC) from Assam has sought a written assurance from the Assam Government for creation of a Garo Autonomous Council (GAC) even as it threatened to boycott the upcoming parliamentary election and intensify a series of agitations if the same was denied.
“Many autonomous councils have been created in the past in Assam with relatively less population and lesser number of villages as compared to the Garo population and Garo villages. The Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC), the Lalung Autonomous Council (LAC), the Missing Autonomous Council(MAC), the Thengal Kachari Hill Council, the Sonowal Kachari Council and the Deori Council are the Autonomous Council created by the state government comprising of core and satellite villages.
“These councils are cut across geographical areas and there is no geographical contiguity in the territories covered under these councils. Almost all the tribes except the Garos have been given autonomous councils in Assam. The creation of these councils paves way for the creation of a new Garo Autonomous Council which would be much larger in area and would comprise larger population,” the UGACMC said.
The committee asserted that Garos being one of the indigenous tribes of North East India must be given freedom to assert and determine the universally accepted principle of right to political self determination for which a separate autonomous council of its own was needed for shaping their own destiny in respect of political, socio-cultural ethnicity, education etc.
“The preamble of the Indian constitution says that “people are the ultimate authority and the constitution emerges from them” hence the Garos also deserve to be treated equally in all aspects by the Assam government,” it said.
“The Infrastructural, Social, Agricultural development in Rabha and Bodo inhabited areas are way ahead than those inhabited by the Garos. The Garo areas have been the most neglected part of Assam by successive governments. The Garo people of Assam have been receiving step motherly treatment since independence and have seen no proper investment for overall development in Garo areas. There has been improper utilization of allocated funds which in itself is meager and insufficient for implementation of schemes in the Garo areas. This imbalance and backwardness can only be redressed by the creation of separate Garo Autonomous Council (GAC) where the Garos can set up and determine their own developmental goals and fulfill their cultural, traditional and linguistic aspirations,” the committee added.
According to the committee, the proposed Garo Autonomous Council (GAC) area comprises of Core villages and Satellite villages cut across geographical contiguity in territories covered under the proposed council. Therefore, the committee felt that it was imperative on the part of the Government of Assam to take cognizance of the matter and acknowledge this right of the Garos and take necessary initiatives in creating a separate Garo Autonomous Council in Assam to ensure justice to Garos living there.
