No reason to review quota policy: Garo body to CM

TURA, June 12: The Garo Graduates’ Union (GGU) on Monday shot off a three-point memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma pointing out that there was no reason to review the existing Meghalaya State Reservation Policy of 1972 but the need of the hour was to strengthen the policy by taking corrective steps so that no community from the state is deprived.
“The present State Reservation Policy of January 12, 1972 should not be disturbed at this juncture and continue as 40%-40% for Garos and Khasi/Jaintias, 5% for other ST/SC and 15% for the general category. Any demand for its revision at this state is not only against the will of the Garos; rather it will also be a threat to the future of the youths and the people. We are firm and committed to oppose it,” the union warned.
According to the union, the Cabinet’s approval to implement the roster system as directed by the High Court of Meghalaya will be in the right direction and the correct tool to right the wrongs that have been done during the last 50 years. “We believe that the roster system will bring out the real facts and reveal that the Garos have been deprived of their deserving posts in the past. It will reveal the backlogs and lead us to take future course of action. Therefore the government should be sincere in its efforts,” it added.
Meanwhile, the union felt that the present and proposed expert committee was unacceptable and strongly opposed it. It also urged the government to come clear on constituting the expert committee.
Earlier, several prominent citizens’ bodies from Tura like the Tura Garo Senior Citizens’ Forum (TGSCF), New Tura Development Forum (NTDF) and others had urged the chief minister to keep the reservation policy and the roster system intact and not succumb to the pressure for its dilution and modification by certain groups.
Pointing out that the demand for its review was being made merely by vested interests groups, the groups in a memorandum to the chief minister urged him to safeguard the rights of the A’chik people who have already been deprived, by maintaining all its clauses intact.
“The vested interest groups are now intending further to take away the perquisites of this community. While it seems that the situation in the matter of relationship between two major community groups, viz. the Garos and the Khasi-Jaintias is becoming bad because of raking up of the issue; the more vigorous demand by the vested interest groups for implementation of the roster system with prospective effect, may further shatter the relationship and co-existence of these communities in the State ultimately ending up in a situation where both the communities lose their respective shares of reservations,” the groups had cautioned.
Pointing out that the reservation policy was enacted by visionary leaders and founding fathers of the state, the groups urged that their vision be respected as it was they who fought hard to achieve Statehood.