Shillong, Feb 14: The draft settlement agreement to be signed with Meghalaya’s rebel A’chik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) and the Meghalaya government and union home ministry is waiting for the approval of the union Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before finalizing the date of final signing of the peace accord with the rebel group.
The union home ministry has submitted the draft of the settlement agreement with the ANVC signed with the Meghalaya government and the union home ministry last year. By default, the agreement will also be applicable with the breakaway faction of the ANVC who had split with its parent organisation.
Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma had said that the ANVC (B) will also be part of the agreement but not as the breakaway faction but as the ANVC, its parent organisation. He had said otherwise a separate agreement has to be signed which will be time consuming.
The Meghalaya government had postponed holding of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections by another six months so as to enable the ANVC members to participate in the election process.
The ANVC had entered into a ceasefire agreement with state government and union government since 2004 demanding for a GHADC modeled after the Bodo Territorial Council. However in January 5 last year the ANVC agreed to climb down from its earlier demand and instead settled for expansion of the powers of the GHADC and increasing the MDC seats from 29 to 40 seats.
Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma is keen to see that the peace settlement with the ANCV is settled to usher in peace in the militancy infested areas of Garo hills.
However, many today doubts whether signing the final peace settlement with the ANVC in Garo hills will really bring back peace in the trouble-torn Garo hills as the region now has become a hotbed of many splinter and new militant outfits that seems to be growing by the day.
The most potent and dangerous militant outfit that is operation in Garo hills is the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), floated by the rogue Meghalaya police deputy superintendent of police Champion R Sangma, chairman of the outfit. Though Sangma had been arrested and is now being lodged in the Shillong district jail, but the outfit has not lost its striking power as it is now being led by its commander-in-chief Sohan D Shira. The GNLA continues to terrorise Garo hills giving sleepless night to the security forces and the government.
Besides the GNLA, ANVC and ANVC (B)- who are in ceasefire mode- there are around 9 other known militant outfits that are operating in Garo hills adding to the security problem of the region. The known militant outfits operating in Garo hills are A’chik National Co-operative Army (ANCA), A’chik Tiger Force (ATF), United Achik Liberation Army (UALA), , Liberation of Achik Elite Force (LAEF) 2005, People’s Liberation Front of Meghalaya (PLF-M), Achik National Security Defence (ANSD) 2008, Atong Liberation Army (ALA) 2008, United Achik National Front (UANF) and A’chik Songna An’pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK).- By Our Reporter
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