The Synjuk ki Rangbah Shnong Umroi-Umiam has petitioned the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to de-notify five villages as census towns in the upcoming national census so as to allow them to continue to draw on central government grants and schemes meant for rural areas.
The five villages are Nongrah Umroi, Jaiawpdeng, Laban Saro, Umroi Madan and Umdohbyrthih.
The body’s General Secretary, PB Sylliang, said that most of the villagers in these places are farmers and most households are below the poverty line and therefore these villages should not be classified as urban settlements.
The KHADC had, on Tuesday, announced that similar de-notification had already been approved by the council for areas around Nongpoh, Nongstoiñ and near Shillong.
