The Jaintia Hills regional unit of the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (COMSO) has called on the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) to cease the issuance of new trading licences to non-tribals in areas under its jurisdiction.
COMSO leaders met with JHADC Chief Executive Member Thombor Shiwat in Jowai today to raise this and other issues.
If the current situation persists without stringent legal and administrative reforms, it poses a significant threat to the socio-cultural, economic, and demographic fabric of our tribal homeland, said COMSO in a press release.
The conglomeration of pressure groups called for an immediate cessation in trading licences for nont-ribals “until a robust legal framework and verification system are established” as the “uncontrolled influx” of non-tribal traders threatens the economic space of indigenous communities and disrupts local markets, COMSO said.
Similarly, it called for the suspension of new hawker licences until a thorough regulatory framework that involves local traditional authorities and district-level oversight is created to verify the nationality, residency status and background of applicants. This process should include Aadhaar and voter ID verification, police clearance from the applicant’s home state and community vetting from locals and the Dorbar Shnong.
COMSO also wants the licensing system for traders, shops and hawkers to be completely digitised with a centralised database ensuring digital biometric linkage for each trader, public access for citizen oversight and integration with taxation and land ownership systems.
Meanwhile, the organisation also appealed to the JHADC to call a special session of the council to adopt a resolution to request the state government to push for an amendment to the Scheduled Tribes Order of 1950 to ensure that the definition of who is an indigenous ST is tightened in order not to allow misuse by non-indigenous claimants.
