The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) today stated that the complaint lodged by three residents of Bholaganj and Ichamati with Governor Satya Pal Malik was misleading and baseless.
KHADC chief executive member Titosstar Well Chyne however said that the district council has constituted a special committee to report within ten days.
“We have constituted a special committee comprising of legal experts to study this case thoroughly before the executive committee respond to the Governor and concerned authority,” Chyne told reporters on Tuesday.
Stating that the district council has never tried to inflict any harm to the Hindu population in the area, he said, “We issue licenses as per the trading by non-tribal act and from about 4000 trading license under the lookout of the KHADC at present there is no harassment at all be it if one is a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, etc.”
It may be mentioned that a delegation of three residents who met the Governor recently claimed that the district council was working in connivance with pressure groups to stop the Hindu population from earning their livelihoods as their business establishments have been forced to close, ostensibly because of a lack of trading licenses or no-objection certificates (NOCs).
“If the application and renewal of the trading license are as per the rules and regulation of the act and if they meet all the criterion of the act then the KHADC cannot deny the trading license to anyone,” he said adding that most importantly the trading licenses are issued based on the NOC issued by the Dorbar Shnong.
“We cannot stop people to complain to anyone but we will also clarify the matter because once some people have also challenged the act in the Supreme Court four times but the court gave its verdict in favour of the district council and the act,” he added.
