SHILLONG, July 2: Ki Khun Ki Hajar Ka Hima Sohra (residents of Hima Sohra) on Tuesday demanded that the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) revoke its notification to classify Majai, a village under Hima Sohra, into a Raid.
After submitting a petition to KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Pyniaid Sing Syiem, a leader of the residents, M Bynnud, told reporters that the council decided to classify Majai as a Raid with the approval of the Durbar Hima of Hima Sohra. “But we are not going to accept this decision of the council,” Bynnud said.
According to him, it is totally unjustified to classify Majai as a Raid considering that the Khasis account for only 10 per cent of the population while the rest are non-Khasis.
Bynnud said such a decision of the council is an attempt to empower the non-Khasi population to have freedom to administer on their own. He said they had earlier given a 48-hour deadline to revoke the notification. “But we have now decided to wait since the CEM assured that they are going to revoke it after the council’s next session which will be held later this month,” he said.
Meanwhile, Syiem said the notification reverting the status of Majai to ‘Raid Majai’ was as per the Executive Committee’s order of June 25, 2019.
He said the decision to classify Majai into a Raid does not mean that it will be given an independent jurisdiction. It will still fall under Hima Sohra, he added
According to him, the traditional institutions are following a three-tier system of governance comprising the Hima, the Raid and the Dorbar Shnong.
He said the council revoked an earlier Executive Order issued on May 7, 2020, which stated that “Majai and its administration will be looked after by the Syiem and Hima of Sohra.”
He said there are many other issues and the council has taken steps to streamline the administration of Hima Sohra.
He said the first thing the council did was it issued a direction to the Syiem of Hima Sohra that he cannot issue no-objection certificates to the non-tribal traders who do not own land at Majai.
Syiem said the regulations on the functioning of the Syiem of Hima Sohra will also apply to Raid Majai.
Stating that currently there is an acting Sordar at Majai, he said it is the responsibility of the Hima Sohra to conduct the election for the full-fledged Sordar. He also said that the council’s main concern is to ensure that there is no misunderstanding over the notification. “Our main objective is to strengthen the administration and the functioning of Hima Sohra,” Syiem said.
He said the council is concerned over reports on the issuance of a land document (dulir) to the non-Khasis in Majai.
On the demand of the residents of Hima Sohra to revoke the order, he said they have given time to the council to exercise its mind and come up with the best thing to address their concern. “It is not easy for me to decide or give an assurance on the revocation of the notification immediately. Maybe, after the session of the council is over, we will be able to properly examine the demand on the revocation of this order,” he said.
