A day after the FKJGP expressed its anger at the appointment of Aktar Ali, the MDC from Zikzak, as the chairman of the GHADC forest department, several other pressure groups have come out against the move as well.
The NGOs raised their objection to the move of the new executive committee in appointing someone they were completely opposed to.
The NGOs asserted that they played a pivotal part in the GHADC restarting functions after a four-month deadlock along with other stakeholders including the church, civil society groups and themselves so that the new EC can solve the issue once and for all. However, they were surprised by the move of the EC to work against the sentiment of the Garos.
“We have objected to the appointment of non-tribal MDCs and to appoint Aktar Ali as the chairman of the Forest Advisory Committee is in itself an insult to our rights enshrined in the Constitution. Leave alone the appointment of non-tribals, even their participation is demeaning to the actual spirit of Sixth Schedule,” said the NGOs.
The NGOs called the move to appoint a non-tribal MDC as forest chairman undermining the ability of the tribal MDCs in managing the forest cover of Garo Hills.
“It is an open secret that many forest products are being illegally transported to neighbouring states and most of the time the operators are non-tribals. The efficient management can provide a large chunk of revenue for the Council which in turn will help our Institution in a better way. We believe the appointment of an indigenous MDC will better the situation,” added the NGOs.
The NGO have now demanded that the current EC remove Aktar from the role of chairman with immediate effect else they would not shy away from acting on the matter.
