Shillong, January 2: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Members of District Council (MDCs) warned that they would seek the court’s intervention to ensure that the delimitation bill of the KHADC is not implemented during the forthcoming council elections.
A delegation of six MDCs met Meghalaya governor KK Paul on Thursday and reiterated their opposition to the delimitation bill passed for the second time by the KHADC during a special session on December last year.
Earlier, the MDCs including Lambor Malngiang from Nongkrem, Carmel Sohtun from Laitkhroh, James Ban Basaiawmoit from Mawkhar and others had sought the intervention of the Paul saying that KHADC executive committee had violated by hold a hasty public hearings on the delimitation bill.
“We strongly opposed the move to implement the delimitation bill passed by the KHADC in this upcoming election as it was done in a hasty and unjust manner,” Sohtun said after the meeting with Paul.
The MDCs met Paul to also inquire about the status of their earlier representation made to him on whether he would give his assent to the bill or not.
Paul however said that he is yet to take a call on the matter as he still waiting for the reply from the District Council Affairs (DCA) department of the government on the clarifications sought by him, Sohtun informed reporters.
Sohtun said Paul had told them that based on the reply of the DCA, he would study and examine before taking any decision.
Informing that the MDCs will continue to protest against the bill, Sohtun said, “If the bill is approved by the government, we will knock the court’s door.”
Earlier during the special session of the KHADC, Sohtun had even torn copy of the delimitation bill as a mark of protest.
Paul had earlier directed the KHADC to conduct an ‘on the spot’ public hearing with regards to the proposed delimitation bill.
Sohtunm however, alleged that the KHADC had failed to conduct the public hearing in areas where the delimitation is going to affect but only called the different village heads at a meeting held in the council to hear their views and opinions which is not as per the direction of Paul.
The delegation is demanding that the bill should be put on hold.
Under the delimitation bill, the KHADC wanted to rearrange its constituencies mainly to facilitate the creation of Umsning constituency in Ri Bhoi district by merging two existing constituencies – Laitkhroh and Lyngkyrdem into one constituency.
Similarly, ngos and traditional heads from the two districts of Jaintia Hills region have also threatened to approach the court if the proposed MDC delimitation bill passed by the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) is not ‘put on hold’.
According to the ngos, the delimitation bill by passed by the JHADC violates the true essence and spirit for delimitation and it was passed through arbitrary, irrational and biased manner to suit the ‘political-interest’ of the sitting MDCs.- By Our Reporter
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