From Our Correspondent
TURA, Nov 27: The ACHIK on Wednesday opposed the demand made by the Meghalaya Indigenous Minority Tribals Forum (MIMTF) for the creation of separate regional Councils within the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
A memorandum in this regard was also sent to Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram, on Tuesday.
“The very essence of the Sixth Schedule under which GHADC operates is to uphold the unity, integrity and collective identity of tribal communities within their respective autonomous regions. The creation of regional councils within the GHADC would fragment the cohesive representation of the people, dilute the purpose of the Sixth Schedule and undermine the authority of the GHADC,” the organisation said.
It also gave other key reasons for its opposition to the forum’s demand, which included potential erosion of collective tribal identity, weakening of GHADC’s governance, threat to the spirit of unity, etc.
Meanwhile, while urging all stakeholders to oppose the demand, the ACHIK also called on the MIMTF to refrain from making such demands, which may disrupt communal harmony in the region.
