Plea to scrap Tura Draft Master Plan
TURA, March 14: A day after the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) MDCs unanimously opposed the state government’s move to expand the jurisdiction of the Tura Municipal Board (TMB) by including a’kinglands under its ambit, the Achik Youth Council on Thursday made a fervent appeal to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to respect the autonomy of Sixth Schedule areas and scrap the contentious proposal, viz. Tura Draft Master Plan 2015-35.
In a letter to the chief minister, the AYC, while airing concerns over the expansionary proposal, said, “Firstly, it is crucial to highlight that the Tura Municipal Board’s existence within the Sixth Schedule area is illegal. Unfortunately, the management of Tura town was entrusted to the Tura Municipal Board by the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), despite there being no provision for municipalities under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.”
According to the AYC, expanding the jurisdiction of the municipal area under the Sixth Schedule area is not only unconstitutional but also disrespectful to the A’chik people. “Most of the Sixth Schedule area has already been encroached upon by the Tura Municipal Board. The current municipal area of Tura town does not reflect its original boundaries as permitted by the GHADC,” the AYC added.
Asserting that it was imperative to uphold the rights and integrity of the Sixth Schedule areas and respect the autonomy granted to them under the Constitution of India, the AYC urged Conrad to immediately scrap the proposal.
It may be mentioned that a day earlier, MDCs both from the ruling and the opposition, while cutting across party lines, had unanimously opposed the Tura Draft Master Plan during the special session of the GHADC.
As per the proposed Tura Draft Master Plan, a’kinglands like Danakgre, Duragre, Alotgre, Chasingre, Doldegre, Rongkhongre, Ballonggre besides others, which currently fall under Tura constituency, would come under the TMB.
