Editor,
It appears from your news items on July 19, 2024 that the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) would proceed to Delhi to meet the officials of the Ministry of Home Affair for their demands in the proposed amendment of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The Deputy Chief Executive Member, P N Syiem said that the Council would like to impress upon the Ministry of Home Affair that the term ‘Village Council’ should be replaced by “Village Dorbar” for Meghalaya in the 125th Amendment. Apparently the suggestion confined itself to the changing of the nomenclature and not to the changing of the functioning of the Village Council which consist of the implementation of the adult suffrage while the Village Dorbar has no role in the implementation of the adult suffrage.
Adult suffrage enables every Indian above the age of 21 years to vote in any election of the Sixth Scheduled. It appears that the intention of P N Syiem is not to take into consideration the term adult suffrage while implementing the functioning of the Village Council or in other words the functioning of the adult suffrage should be set aside while implementing the provision of the Sixth Schedule or otherwise the interchange of the term ‘Village Council into Village Dorbar’ has no significant at all. We endorse the view of P N Syiem if his intention is to remove or modify the functioning of the term adult suffrage.
P N Syiem said that he does not want the words ‘Municipal Council’ to be included in the Amendment Bill 2019. In fact, the creation of the Municipal Council is mentioned in the amendment bill 2019. We may say that the creation of the Municipal Council in KHADC is not feasible as there is an alienation of land in the administrations of the Municipal Council. Land in KHADC belongs to the people, Syiemship and Sirdarship by the way of pendency of the Instrument of Accession as such the Municipal Council cannot be created in KHADC for reasons stated above.
We endorsed the views of P N Syiem that the Municipal Council should not figure in the Amendment Bill 2019 pertaining to KHADC. We do not subscribe to the view that the State Election Commission should conduct the election of the Rangbah Shnong as the election of the State Election Commission is performed by way of adult suffrage which is at variance with the custom of the people in KHADC and Jaintia Hills.
Wilster Anthony
Convener of SOMALA
Jaiaw Langsning, Shillong-2
