SHILLONG: Augustine R. Marak, MDC, Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) has said that there will be no bar to the non-tribals of Garo Hills in exercising the nominated status in Garo Hills Autonomous Territorial Council after the Amendment in the Sixth Schedule , a statement issued here informed.
Marak asked the non-tribals to not worry about the removal of the word ‘unrepresented tribes’ from the Sixth Schedule.
He also pointed out that the committee led by District Council Affairs Minister James Sangma had recommended that “the Garo Hills Autonomous Territorial Council shall comprise not more than 42 members of whom 36 shall be elected on the basis of adult suffrage and remaining 6 shall be nominated by the Governor on the recommendation of the the Garo Hills Autonomous Territorial Council of whom at least two shall be women”.
He said the statement is clear that any tribal community shall be nominated.
“The GHADC has accorded administrational rights to members belonging to non-tribal communities which include Robilal Joisi (1952 to 1957), Khelaram Barman (1952 to 1957), Kabir Lohar, (1957 to 1972) and Mon Bahadur Newar (1972 to 1978),” Marak said adding that there has been no discrimination in Garo Hills till date and none shall take place. He said there were lot of non-Garo elected members in the GHADC in the present and currently, there are four non-Garo elected members.
