Tura, Apr 10: Various CSOs of the districts of West and South West Garo Hills have jointly petitioned to the administrations of the districts seeking the verification of traders and enforcement of licensing & customary permissions.
The petition apparently comes in the wake of information received from various localities of traders operating in various markets without proper permissions and valid documents.
The CSOs submitting the petition included the AAYF, GOERA, ADIL, FKJGP, AYWO and AHAM. They maintained that under the Sixth Schedule, the GHADC was empowered to license and regulate trade and markets and that applicable trading regulations required valid licenses for business operations. Further the customary authority of Nokmas (A·king land) required prior consent/NOC for business establishment and land use.
They expressed concerns that many businesses were operating without valid licenses and lacked the NOC of the concerned Nokmas, the absence of proper verification by market/area authorities and had potential impact on local livelihoods and orderly market functioning.
The groups demanded that immediate verification drives in all markets across affected areas should be undertaken to ensure that every trader possessed valid trading license (as per GHADC/competent authority), NOC/consent from the concerned Nokma and any other required registration/ID documents for operating their business.
While seeking action against non compliance, the groups sought the formation of a joint monitoring mechanism that included that district administration, police, GHADC officials, Nokmas, Bazar Committees. They also sought a regular report on action taken.
“We fully support lawful and regulated trade. Our objective is to ensure that all economic activities comply with statutory laws and customary norms, and that local livelihoods are protected within a fair and legal framework. We request the authorities to take time-bound action and issue necessary directions for strict enforcement,” added the CSOs.
