The Hynñiewtrep Youths Council (HYC) has described the state government’s roster guidelines as “unfair” to the Khasi-Jaiñtia community and has demanded a clarification on the matter.
The roster system was hurriedly put in place by the state government after the Meghalaya High Court put a freeze on hiring for government jobs because of the absence of such a system.
For district-level posts where the incumbent is not likely to be transferred outside the district of original posting, there will be a combined reservation of 80 per cent of the posts for Khasi-Jaiñtias and Garos instead of separate reservation of 40 per cent each for the Khasi-Jaiñtia and Garo communities as well as 5 per cent in favour of other Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The HYC general secretary, Roy Kupar Synrem, said that the pressure group has no issue with the joint 80 percent reservation. However, what the HYC does have a problem with is the next part of the office memorandum, which states that preference should be given to locals. The HYC believes that this will hurt the interests of the Khasi-Jaiñtia community.
“While selecting candidates for such posts, preference should be given to local candidates residing permanently in the district in which the vacancies occur. In other words in Garo Hills, the whole combined reservation of 80 per cent will be available to Garos in the absence of any interested candidates belonging to Khasi-Jaintia community, and in Jowai or Shillong, the combined reservation of 80 per cent will be available to Khasi-Jaiñtias in the absence of any interested candidates belonging to Garo community,” the office memorandum said.
Although exact figures are hard to come by, there are significant populations of Garos in Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills, namely in West and South West Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi and Shillong. Conversely, there are comparatively few Khasi-Jaiñtia people living in Garo Hills.
Speaking to the media after meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Synrem said that the former was unable to give a response that satisfied the HYC on the matter.
“We have no objection to the combined 80 per cent reservations for the three communities of the state respectively at the district level but we strongly oppose the guidelines that provide for preferential selection to the local candidates and in the absence of candidates from either groups in the particular district,” Synrem said.
