An ordinary situation would reach the High Court, and the Court would say that the Council is enforcing or issuing orders which do not have the test of the legal framework, the former MDC said, underlining ‘basic legal oversights’
SHILLONG, June 27: Cabinet Minister and United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Paul Lyngdoh launched a scathing critique of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Friday, accusing it of displaying glaring inexperience in conducting business within the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), and asserting that the party’s decisions are an affront to both the Council’s dignity and the electorate’s trust.
Responding to queries about the disarray observed during the just-concluded summer session of the KHADC, Lyngdoh did not hold back.
“First and foremost, we have a very capable Leader of Opposition, Titos Chyne, who would be in a better position to answer your queries. But all I can say is nobody can complain that they have less experience, and therefore are just testing the waters. Because once you are elected, you can no longer claim that you are just learning the ropes, learning the tricks of the trade. That is not acceptable,” he said, pointing to what he sees as a fundamental misunderstanding by the VPP of their roles and responsibilities.
He argued that elected members of the District Council are expected to step into office with a functional knowledge of relevant laws, rules, and the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
“You have entered into a profession where you are expected to lead; you are expected to know rules, the laws, and the various Acts of the council. It should have been incumbent upon all elected MDCs to read the Sixth Schedule, read the various enactments, laws, rules,” he stressed.
Lyngdoh expressed dismay over what he called “basic legal oversights,” warning that such ignorance risks undermining the legitimacy of the Council’s actions.
He cited examples of how ordinary matters can escalate to the judiciary due to flawed Council decisions. “An ordinary situation would reach the High Court, and the High Court would say that the council is enforcing or issuing orders which do not have the test of the legal framework. So this is surprising to me,” the former MDC from Jaiaw constituency observed.
When asked if he was alluding to the recent High Court order concerning the termination of employees in the council, he confirmed, “That is one. Two is setting up of a toll gate on National Highway. Once you have a toll road, it’s very obvious that the road was constructed and funded by the NHAI, which then recover its investment by having the tollgates.”
“Now, which authority on Earth would allow another agency to also collect revenue from a road on which it had invested and which I believe is yet to recover its investment?” he added, sharply questioning the council’s rationale.
Describing these lapses as fundamental, Lyngdoh said, “So these are fundamental issues. It doesn’t require, you know, a lot of experience. It’s just plain common sense.”
On chairman of the KHADC calling for voting for tabling the budget in the House, he said, “I think it’s utterly devoid of logic and at least let them read the rule book of the council. But voting before a budget has never happened in the history of the Assembly”.