SHILLONG, JAN 31: The headmen under the banner of the Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong (SKRS) decided to defy the Meghalaya high court order prohibiting them from issuing of the No Objection Certificate-NOC- and said it will continue to issue NOC to residents despite the court order.
Peeved by the recent Meghalaya high court order prohibiting headmen from issuing NOC and questioning the source of their authority , headmen from hundred Dorbar Shnong on Saturday also demanded ‘official recognition’ from the state government even as they decided to continue issuing of certificates despite the court’s ruling.
“It is high time for the State government to give us ‘official recognition’ in black and white,” they said.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the headmen under banner of the Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong (SKRS) on the backdrop of the December 10, 2014-ruling passed by the Meghalaya High Court.
The SKRS comprises of 38 dorbar shnongs and 62 associate members (dorbar shnongs from suburbs areas).
Terming the court’s order as a ‘wakeup call’, SKRS president Dr W Kharshiing said, “The state government should give due recognition to the traditional institutions including the headmen in the state.” According to him, all this while the government took the assistance of the dorbar shnong and its headmen especially in tackling law and order besides developmental schemes.
The meeting has also decided to constitute a Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising the executive members of the SKRS and associate members.
“The JAC would soon meet the state government and chief minister Mukul Sangma to discuss the matter, the date of which will be decided on its sitting slated on February 4,” Kharshiing informed.
Kharshiing informed, the committee will also pressurize the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to speed up the process of resubmitting the Khasi Hills District (Village Administration) Bill, 2014, to ensure it gets the approval and assent of the Governor at the earliest.
Going against the ruling of the court, the headmen further decided to continue issuing of certificates to residents residing within their respective village jurisdictions.
The Meghalaya High Court in its order passed on December 10 last year directed the state government and its district administrations not to indulge or ask the people to obtain NOC from the headmen but they should function independently as per rules and laws.
“We will continue to issue certificates to residents if they required as instructed by any government departments or financial institutions such as banks,” Kharshiing said. According to him, notwithstanding the ruling of the court, the residents are still coming to the headmen for certificates, which he says they are duty not to refuse.
Kharshiing further claimed that interestingly the State Bank of India (SBI) till today is still asking from the people residential certificates from the headmen.
In addition to this, the SKRS vice president H Syiem questioned that how can the same deputy commissioner (DC) East Khasi Hills District circulate an order that a headman certificate is not required and at the same time invited the headmen to participate in the upcoming meeting to discuss on the National Population Registration (NPR) slated on February 11.
“This is a controversial situation which we failed to understand,” Syiem said adding “The same person is saying don’t entertain our certificates and the same person is seeking assistance from the headmen.”
Syiem said, “Till now, the government still seeks our assistance for implementing the national pulse polio campaign in the state,” adding “Therefore, we reiterated there is need for official recognition to the dorbar shnong.”- By Our Reporter
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