SHILLONG: KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Titosstarwell Chyne has come down heavily on Congress MLA, David Nongrum for his comments on the Autonomous District Councils and said that the latter’s criticism must have been due to personal agenda.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, a miffed Chyne said, “If he is having personal problems, he cannot blame the entire institution. We need the district council”.
Chyne also issued a statement stating that in so far as the KHADC is concerned, the pay and allowances are met from its own resources and revenue and it does not depend on the government for meeting its administrative requirements.
Paragraph 9 of the Sixth Schedule provides for a share on the royalty on the shares accruing out of Major and Minor Minerals. As per the existing arrangement, the agreed ratio of shares is 60:40 (60 to the KHADC and 40 to the Government) in major and minor minerals and the share on coal has been fixed at 75:25 in favour of the government, he said.
Chyne said that even though the ADCs are empowered to levy taxes on profession, trades, employments, animals, vehicles, boats and entry of goods into a market, etc, but the KHADC has not erected any gate for collection of toll or tax on the National Highway other than Forest Beats and Range Offices to check illegal movement of timber and other forest produces.
Further, in the statement, he said that there is a strong sentimental attachment and considerable pride in the traditional system in the Sixth Schedule state of Meghalaya. Therefore, there is a consensus that the traditional character of the local councils ought to be retained within the existing legal framework. It is in recognition of these traditional local governance systems that Panchayati Raj in Part IX of the Constitution of India (Article 243) was excluded from their application to the Sixth Schedule states in the 73rd Amendment to the Indian Constitution.
“As of now the tribal population in the state are still in the majority, hence, the creation of Autonomous District Councils is relevant and deserves its continuity. It is a fact that there is no ADC in areas where there is no tribal population and where the population of the tribal area is negligible”, he mentioned.
There are 53 Administrative Units (Traditional Institutions) or Elakas (Syiemships, Lyngdohships, Wahadadarship and Sirdarships) within the KHADC having their own unique social, administrative, and judicial and functions.
He pointed out that at the village level, over the years the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has enacted several Laws governing the conduct of elections to the “Dorbar Shnong” or “Village Council” and so also the appointment of Rangbah Shnong.
These laws are still applicable in the superintendence, control and elections of the “Dorbar Shnong” or “Village Council”. Any deviation from the prevailing laws and customs will create a lot of confusion in the system of governance framework thereby compromising the fears and doubts of the indigenous people of the State.
Chyne said that the KHADC has protected the economic interest of the tribal population by implementing the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District (Trading by Non-Tribals) Regulation, 1954 and its Rules framed thereunder and the trade and business of the tribal population is safeguarded by this Regulation.
“The Government of India has time and again made an effort to strengthen the Autonomous District Council by proposing an Amendment to the Sixth Schedule and it may be mentioned that one of such effort is the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2019 is now pending before the parliament and under the consideration of the Home Ministry”, he said.
‘ADCs cannot be obliterated by empty talks’
Meanwhile, nominated KHADC member Bindo Lanong has slammed the vitriolic and malicious attack on the ADCs in Meghalaya by the Congress MLA, saying that the young and ignorant MLA was not aware of the existence of ADCs in Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur. At least in Assam and Tripura, over and above the ADCs, there exist also the Panchayati institutions.
“The utility and value of the ADCs in traditional and local self governance have been proven ever since their existence, where the Sixth Schedule have provided exclusive powers to safeguard the tribal people of the North East from exploitation by the machinations of the unscrupulous traders and usurpers of their economy, land, their traditions, culture and practices, vis-à-vis their traditional Syiems, Dolois, Nokmas and Chiefs, their village Courts and other judicial institutions which are fully under the Indian judicial system and the like, for which varied administrations, government funding is definitely a sine-qua-non,” Lanong said, while asserting that ADCs are an asset, leave alone liability.
Lanong also advised the Congress MLA to acquaint himself with the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the stiff Constituent Assembly deliberations relating to the establishment of the ADCs for the tribals in the North East. “Sacrifices of our forefathers like Rev. JJM Nichols Roy should not be obliterated in the empty rhetoric of ignorant,” he said.