SHILLONG, AUG 29: The Garo Hills State Movement Committee (GHSMC) today demanded the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government to pass a resolution for the creation of a separate Garoland state in the upcoming Assembly session.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, GHSMC chairman Nikman Ch. Marak said, “It is imperative on the part of the state government to bring about a resolution pertaining to the creation of Garoland state in the assembly session and forwarding the same to the Centre for its due consideration whereby the cherished aspirations of the Garos,Khasis and Jaintias can be materialized.”
Although this genuine issue was left unattended to by the successive centre and the state governments for decades, Marak however said, “We are encouraged by the positive response of the central ministers viz Rajnath Singh, and Kiren Rijiju, the Home Minister and the MoS, for Home respectively in our bilateral talks in New Delhi last year.”
He said that this age old genuine issue has arisen out of the untold discriminations against the rightful bonafide Garo tribe who are deprived of their fair share in all respects for no fault of their own even after the creation of a composite Meghalaya state carving out of the erstwhile undivided state of Assam.
“When it comes to the question of fair share, even the Khasis and Jaintias are also the victims of this contentious problem which can only be done away with once the separate Garo Land state is created,” he stated.
Further, the GHSMC also sought the chief minister Conrad K Sangma’s intervention to ensure that the Bill relating to the codification of Garo customary laws get the assent of the Governor at the earliest.
“This bill was passed while your NPP party was in power forming the Executive Committee in the GHADC and now, since this party has been elevated to the formation of state government and your honour is holding the pivotal post of the same, we would sincerely urge upon your benign government to get it assented to by the Governor,” Marak said.
Stating that on the back drop of the recent National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, the committee also urged the state government to speed up the setting up of the entry and exit points to check influx and illegal immigration into the state.
According to committee, the deadly tentacles of illegal immigrants are spreading all across the Indian sub-continent and as such, there are reports of sporadic incidences about illegal migrants taking refuge elsewhere in Garo Hills.
Meanwhile, the committee also requested the government to effectively implement the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act to keep check on the alleged rampant land grabbing and illegal encroachment on government owned lands and Nokma a.kings whereby the fragile demography of the indigenous tribes is threatened.
Encroachers should be detected followed by timely eviction vis-à-vis, awarding penalties to those guilty officers under the appropriate sections of law, it demanded.
By Our Reporter
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