TURA, July 31: Meghalaya BJP vice president and GHADC MDC from Tura, Bernard N. Marak on Monday demanded appointment of deputy commissioners and district police chiefs with adequate knowledge of the hill tribes and the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution.
He also raised the issue of disparities in the functioning of the state government and the autonomous district councils, alleging that power continues to be held by the state where district councils were supposed to be in authority, due to violation of the provisions of the Sixth Schedule over the years by successive governments.
“It was agreed in one of the joint monitoring committee meetings that Meghalaya would appoint DCs and SPs in the hill districts keeping in mind that they have thorough knowledge of the local language, culture and the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Most of the officers appointed by the state are new to the area, having zero or no knowledge of the culture, tradition and privileges reserved under the Hill provisions. Some of the officers do not even know the background, culture, practices and traditional ways of the hill tribals therefore they often misinterpret the lifestyle and behaviour of the hill tribals,” he said.
Pointing out that the Constitution protected the people from outsiders, Bernard said that officers should be taught the history of the hill tribals and why the government and its servants pay tax to the ADCs, adding they should also be made aware not to cross the jurisdiction laid through the Constitution no matter how much pressure they get from their political bosses. “The state may run the show but the authority and the autonomous powers over land and revenue lies with the tribals and the ADCs. The state’s role is restricted but the political leaders have intruded into the ADCs and taken control of it which now resulted in many conflicting debates ultimately benefiting the state which is a general entity, not tribal,” he claimed.
The Tura MDC added that it was the ADCs which play a vital role in management of land, safeguarding the tribal rights, developing the tribal and excluded areas and safeguarding the interests of the Hill people. He added that of late, the state police started interfering with the ADCs and its functionaries, arresting them and taking up matters related to land.
“Little do they know that the administration and police do not have land settled in their name as there is no record and more interesting as it is, they stopped paying land, water taxes years ago. If these taxes are realised, GHADC will get enough revenues to clear the pending salaries. However, in the last few decades the state controlled the ADCs and took over many departments and violated the very constitution which reserved our rights. They took over primary education, public health, civil works, town committees, water works, transport, forests etc,” Bernard alleged.
According to Bernard, indirect and direct taxes were forced on the tribals through the municipalities and they were forced to accept scheduled caste certificates (caste certificates) as tribal certificates, forced to register the birth and death in the municipalities and the state departments, forced to get NOCs for basic necessities like light, water, building etc from MUDA, municipality, etc.
