TURA, June 24: Fresh elections to the post of secretary, president and women member in the Moulakandi Village Employment Council (VEC) have been ordered by the High Court of Meghalaya in the wake of complaints over the formation of two VEC governing bodies in the same village, provided by the Block Development Officer’s office a day apart in the year 2020.
The case against the illegal act of the Demdema C&RD office was filed by a resident, Mozidur Rehman.
As per the observation in the case, it was found that on January 13, 2020, new VEC members were announced after elections were held on January 9. However, in a separate order, the Block office, inexplicably, set aside the earlier elected members before announcing another three VEC functionaries the very next day, January 14.
The term of the VEC functionaries is for three years.
The Court found no tangible reason for the removal and appointment.
Again on December 23, 2020, the C&RD Block further created another VEC (South Moulakandi) which was never in existence, which according to the petitioners caused wholesome disruption of job card activities of the entire village. The triple bifurcation of the same VEC apparently has been done without any orders and as such was illegal.
The representatives of the state informed the Court that there has never been any bifurcation of the VEC in Moulakandi, though a notional bifurcation has been done for easier management. What is even more interesting, if local sources are to be believed, is that the Moulakandi VEC has been broken up into 12 such parts apparently for ‘easier management’.
This admission of the state government could further set the cat among the pigeons as most VECs in the plain belt of West Garo Hills and South West Garo Hills have been broken up multiple times by C&RD officials, though no official reason has been given.
The Court, through its findings, admitted that there has been some dislocation and mismanagement in the constitution of the VEC in Moulakandi and maintained that a VEC cannot be bifurcated except for compelling reasons. The Court quashed both orders of January 13 and 14 that were given by the C&RD office, while directing that the matter be examined afresh. It further directed that elections to elect new VEC and its functionaries and to look into the matter with regard to the bifurcation of the VEC, which seems to be unjustified.
The entire process is to be completed within a period of four weeks.
