Jaintia youth body demands scrutiny of trading licenses

SHILLONG: The central body of the All Jaintia Youth Welfare Organisation (AJYWO) has issued a deman stating that the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) should stop issuing new trading licenses to non-tribals for the time being and not to deprive the locals of livelihood.
“The fact that non-tribals can easily obtain NOCs and trading licenses in Jaintia Hills without abiding by the law has jeopardised the locals’ chance of earning a proper living,” said AJYWO central body president MH Dkhar.
“The AJYWO has also filed numerous RTIs with regard to trading license and the employee’s service license. However, it pains us to know that the JHADC has not taken all these issues seriously and turned a blind eye instead,” he said.
“How will our own people manage to earn a living and do business in their own land if the opportunities are being taken away by non-tribals?” he added.
Dkhar said that the foremost priority of the JHADC is to look out for the interests of the local people.
In this regard, the AJYWO said that the JHADC should set its priorities straight and should abide by the rules and regulations as per the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District (Trading by Non-Tribals) Regulation Act-2011 and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District (Trading by Non-Tribals) Rules-2015 before issuing trading licenses as the acts clearly state that the JHADC can only issue trading licenses to non-tribals after proper scrutiny.
The AJYWO also demanded that the JHADC conduct regular inspections in all business establishments across Jaintia Hills and to shut down businesses operating without a valid trading license or employee’s service license which would in turn pave the way for locals.