Organisation petitions Tribal Affairs Minister; lists four key demands
SHILLONG, May 2: The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) has submitted a memorandum to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, urging immediate action on several pressing issues concerning the protection and development of Meghalaya’s indigenous tribal communities.
The petition outlines four critical demands: the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system, assent to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security (Amendment) Bill, 2020, enforcement of 44% reservation for Scheduled Tribes in Group C jobs in central government offices in Meghalaya, and amendment of the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, specific to the state.
CoMSO chairman Roy Kupar Synrem emphasized that the ILP system should be extended to Meghalaya due to similar demographic, geographic, and socio-cultural characteristics. He noted that much of the region was either governed under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, or afforded comparable protections. However, these protections have since been eroded, placing indigenous communities under increasing demographic pressure.
“The combined population of the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo tribes is approximately 25 lakh, just 0.2% of India’s total population. This demographic vulnerability makes them highly susceptible to being overwhelmed by migration, especially given Meghalaya’s international border with Bangladesh and its interstate boundary with Assam. Without regulatory mechanisms such as the ILP, the indigenous population could face long-term marginalization within their ancestral lands,” he said.
Synrem proposed a flexible ILP model for Meghalaya, featuring transit corridors with simplified entry for short-duration travellers, electronic monitoring instead of physical checkpoints, and integration with national ID systems.
The Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security (Amendment) Bill, 2020 aims to enhance registration requirements for non-residents staying over 48 hours, ensuring minimal inconvenience for short-term visitors while enabling authorities to track long-term non-resident stays, he said.
Regarding employment reservations, Synrem reiterated the need to enforce the 44% reservation for Scheduled Tribes in Group C positions in central government offices within Meghalaya. He called for a revision of the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, which he argued is outdated and based on colonial-era classifications that fail to account for the diverse sub-tribes and clans within the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo communities.
Synrem urged the Union Tribal Minister office to act swiftly and engage in any further consultation or dialogue required to address these pressing issues.