The men’s rights organisation, Syngkhong Rympei Thymmai (SRT), today said that business activities within the Khasi community should also be inherited by males.
The organisation believed that business establishments in Iewduh have experienced an increase of 80 per cent and these are run by non-tribals. They said that the women folk, who mostly run trade and commerce, sooner or later rent their business to the non-tribal to attend to their family and children.
According to SRT president Teibor Khongjee, the organisation had sought information from the office of Hima Mylliem and found that there are more non-tribal traders and shopkeepers than the tribals in Ïewduh.
“They call the Ïewduh a sacred market and the main economy for the Khasi people but the total numbers of the street vendors in Ïewduh is 2110 out of which 60 per cent are Khasi-Jaiñtia and 40 non-tribals,” he said.
Khongjee stated that the figures claiming that the total number of shops and business establishments at Ïewduh is at 2365 (467 of non-tribals and 1898 tribal) is not true in ground reality.
“When we went to find out the truth at Ïewduh, almost 80 percent of the shops and business establishment are dominated by non-tribals and only around 20 per cent by the tribals and many shops registered in tribal names have been sold to the non-tribals or Benami,” he stated.
Khongjee also quoted sources from the district council that shops belonging to the Khasi are run by non-tribals. “This shows that economic activity will not flourish if Khasi men don’t run the business,” he said, adding, “Therefore we would stress that in future any business activity should also be succeeded by the males.”
