SHILLONG, Jan 10: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Sunday said the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) cannot overstep their authority as defined by the Constitution of India.
Stating that the ADCs come under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, Tynsong said after some MLAs and people had raised the issue of illegal check gates set up by the district councils, the state government asked the district authorities to look into the matter.
“In case there is any illegal setup, the district administration has to close it down after issuing a closure notice,” he said.
He said all district administrations have been authorised by the government to take necessary actions for the removal of illegal check gates.
Earlier, Congress’s Mawryngkneng MLA, David Nongrum, had slammed the state government for turning a blind eye to the ADC check gates which were allegedly set up along National Highways. He said there was not a single check gate in his constituency till 2018 but today five ADC gates exist on a 20-24 km stretch along the bypass from Umiam to Mawryngkneng.
He pointed out the Supreme Court’s ruling that there should be no illegal collection of taxes on National Highways.
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) dismissed the charges of Nongrum. Its Chief Executive Member, Titosstarwell Chyne, claimed there was nothing illegal about the KHADC gates as these were not erected on any National Highway but forest beats and range offices to check the illegal movement of timber and other forest produces. He said the gates are not for collection of toll or tax.
“The gates were set up according to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. We have powers similar to that of forest department to check illegal movement of timber,” Chyne asserted.
