Shillong, Apr 10: A conglomerate of civil society organisations in Garo Hills has written to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) calling for amendments to laws, aiming to ensure fair representation and protection for the tribal population amidst palpable tensions between the tribal and non-tribal communities.
The organisations—Association for Democracy and Empowerment, Achik Holistic Awakening Movement, Achik Youth Welfare Organisation, Federation for Achik Freedom, Federation of Khasi-Jaintia & Garo People (FKJGP) and Garo Students Union—in the letter to the CEM sought amendments into the Garo Hills District (Transfer of Land) Act, 1955, Assam Meghalaya Autonomous District (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951 and creation of separate electoral roll, excluding non-tribal individuals from participation in the GHADC elections.
The civil organisations pointed out the long-standing frustrations that the Garo community has faced due to the lack of appropriate action regarding land ownership. They stated that illegal encroachments and land transactions have increasingly violated the rights of tribal members, citing examples of Wadagokgre Aking under Phulbari Police Station and illegal purchasing of land at Boldamgre Aking under Halidayganz/Singgimari Police Station.
Proposing amendments to the transfer of land act, the organisations suggested that the words “two hundred rupees” should be replaced by the word “ten lakhs rupees” and the word “fifty rupees for each day” be replaced with “five thousand rupees each day” under Section 6.
Stating that multiple illegal activities carried out by non-Tribal individuals in tribal lands, the organisations advocated for a robust coordination mechanism between various government departments to tackle issues like illegal settling and mining. Collaboration between the land and revenue department, district administration, and police force is necessary for effective enforcement of land laws, they said.
Furthermore, they suggest amending the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous District (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, to restrict non-tribal involvement in Garo Hills elections, which would further empower the tribal community and ensure their voice in governance.
The organisations suggested that the word ‘is a citizen of India’ ‘and a Schedule Tribe of Meghalaya’ should be inserted in Rule 8, in clause (a) of the Act. They suggested that in Rule 128 clause (a) after the words ‘a citizen of India’, the words ‘and ordinarily resident in a constituency for not less than 180 days during the qualifying period’ be replaced with the words ‘and a Schedule Tribe of Meghalaya’.
