GUWAHATI: Garo organisations in Kamrup district apprehend that a sizeable population from their community residing along the hilly areas bordering West Khasi Hills might not find their names in the National Register of Citizens which is set for publication on Saturday.
Sources among the groups inform that there would be over 100 Garo-inhabited villages in Kamrup district and about 30-odd hamlets in the hilly border areas.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Tuesday, GNC (Kamrup district) president, Anindra Marak said about 20 per cent people in the hilly border areas of the district have not been able to apply for inclusion in the NRC on time while there might be others without the requisite documents.
“While I do not have the data on the number of people or families who have not submitted any documents to the NRC authorities during the update exercise, I am certain that a sizeable number of people from Garo community in the district are likely to be excluded from the final list because of non-submission of legacy data at the right time,” Marak said.
As reported in a section of media, many refugee registration certificates submitted by NRC applicants belonging to Bengali, Koch, Garo, Hajong and Dalu communities have been rejected on grounds of unavailability of corresponding records with the government.
On the other hand, Garo Students Union (Kamrup district unit) general secretary, Chera Marak said that many villagers in places such as Hahim and Mathaphuta, et al, close to the West Khasi Hills border have expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged apathy on the part of Assam to carry out development work in the area.
“The prolonged border impasse, lack of development and neglect may have kept them in two minds and not apply for citizenship in Assam. I have interacted with many such villagers along the border areas who have hinted that they might as well be in Meghalaya as they get better facilities there,” the GSU leader added.
The situation in neighbouring district of Goalpara is apparently not too dissimilar as almost 75 per cent of Garo population in most of the 323 villages on the Assam-Meghalaya border was excluded from the draft NRC last year.
“Many Garo men (sons in-law) from Meghalaya who had moved to Assam after marriage did not find their names in the complete draft (published last year) in the absence of requisite documents or legacy data to prove their citizenship. However, pre-1971 documents from the respective village headmen were submitted by them to the NRC authorities recently and we are hopeful of a positive outcome this time,” United Garo Autonomous Council Movement Committee (Assam state) general secretary, Thengsil Sangma said.
