The statement by the Deputy Chief Executive Member (CEM), Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to urge the state government to grant special recognition to the Rangbah Shnong (headmen) and not limit their recognition to times when their services are needed lacks clarity. The decision was taken at a meeting between the KHADC Deputy CEM and the Rangbah Shnong of Shillong, represented by the Synjuk ki Nongsynshar Shnong ka Bri Hynñiewtrep (SNSBH), held at the Council’s conference room. The concerns of the SNSBH are perhaps genuine but they should have worked out clear terms of reference as to where they fit in the government’s schemes of things. What sort of position will the Rangbah Shnong hold vis a vis the government? Are they to be part of the District Administration? If so is the current format by which they are elected – which is by voice vote good enough in such a formal system?
The government cannot operate in an informal manner and has to (a) define the terms under which the Rangbah Shnong are to be recognised (b) the responsibilities they will shoulder (c) the accountability mechanism et al. However, the accountability mechanisms will come only if the Dorbar Shnong are given government funding. Will the District Councils be agreeable with Dorbar Shnong receiving direct funding from the government? And what will that funding be for? Will the Dorbar Shnong also start implementing projects for the government? If so, what role would the Councils have within the same domain? The Deputy CEM’s concern that the government only approaches the Rangbah Shnongs when there are law and order issues or when their help is needed to implement government schemes and programmes. This is true insofar as implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA). It is the Dorbar Shnong that supervises the implementation of the scheme. It is also true that during the Covic pandemic the Rangbah Shnong played a stellar role in managing the health crisis and worked well with the Deputy Commissioner’s offices within the districts. They just came together and formed a solid chain of command for managing the movement of people in and out of the shnong and some even managing the Covid isolation centres. When the epidemic subsided there was no formal closure of the chain of responsibilities that the government had entrusted the Dorbar Shnong with.
According to the Dy CEM the government should be more respectful towards the Rangbah Shnong when they approach officials with problems faced by their Shnong. In other words the District Councils want the Government to give the Rangbah Shnong a separate status other than that mandated by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. There is already a two-tier system that the Dorbar Shnongs are operating within which is that they get their Sanad for performing their duties from the Syiem’s office. Their connect with the District Councils is a bit tenuous and unclear. So what sort of arrangement are the Councils looking at between the Dorbar Shnong and the Government? The Dorbar Shnong is a traditional institution whereas the government is a constitutional authority. If the Dorbar Shnong are to be brought within the ambit of the Government and work directly with it they would have to forego some of the elements of a ‘traditional’ institution which is not accountable to government. These ambiguities have to be sorted out first.
