Shillong, November 20: The students’ community in the state capital staged a ‘walk-out’ and ‘tore’ copies of draft ‘Meghalaya Regulation of Landlords and Verification of Tenants Bill, 2013’ and instead demanded that the state government should come up with a strong and effective mechanism to check illegal influx into the state.
The students said that the draft bill proposed by the state government to check influx and illegal migration into the state does not have any provisions that speak about protecting the indigenous community or to check influx but it is entirely related to regulating tenants both indigenous and non-tribal in the state.
Hundreds of students coming from the different educational institutions walked out of the public consultation held on Wednesday on ‘Meghalaya Regulation of Landlords and Verification of Tenants Bill, 2013’ at U Soso Tham auditorium protesting against the move of the state government to introduce the said bill.
Enraged students tore copies of the bill provided to them into pieces during the consultation outside the auditorium and shouted slogans – ‘We reject the Tenant Bill, Government, Implement the Inner-Line Permit (ILP) system if you cannot come with a strong mechanism to tackle influx problem in the state.’
The consultation also saw heated debate and arguments even seeking clarifications on the various provisions laid down in the bill and the students in “one-voice” expressed their ‘reservations’ against introducing the bill.
“This bill in principle does not link at all with influx. If the government is serious about the issue of influx, then it should instead draft a bill that is strong enough to deal with influx,” Robert Kharjarin, a law graduate from NEHU said.
According to him, the bill has failed to define who is an influx or immigrant. “If we go by the bill, it is understood that whether you are a local indigenous or an immigrants both falls under what is called ‘tenants’.
It is clear that the bill once implemented means that we as students coming from rural villages, we will be treated as immigrants if we want to rent a house here in Shillong,” he said. He also felt that the bill is nothing but harassment to the schedule tribe people when they have to apply for affidavit to get a rented place.
Stating that bill is lobsided, he however said, “It is an irony that for employees staying in government’s land, they will be exempted from the purview of the bill. This is not at all acceptable.”
Kharjarin who is also the former president of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU-NEHU Unit) said that if this present government has no other mechanisms to come up and if it is at all accountable and responsible, it should consider implementing the Inner-Line Permit (ILP) system as demanded by the ngos.
“If you cannot come out with a fresh draft Bill (not tenancy) then State government please asks your UPA government at the Centre to re-insert Garo Hills region under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regualtion Act 1873,” he added.
Quoting chief minister Mukul Sangma who had said that the Tenancy Bill is a strong mechanism, he said, “To say this, I think that the CM has been misled by his non-tribal IAS officers.” He reiterated that the students’ community in the state will give a befitting answer to the Congress governments in the upcoming 2014 Lok Sabha elections, if a strong mechanism to check influx is not put in place or if centre fails to re-insertion of the Garo Hills in the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act.
Participating in the debate, a college student from Shillong College Phrangsngi Pyrtuh said, “I vehemently opposed the introduction of this Tenant Bill as in fact neighbouring Assam state also has got five tenancy acts and its indigenous population in more than five districts were reduce to minorities.”
Terming the consultation meet as just formalities, he said, “I sense that there is some hidden agenda on this entire move to come up with a bill and its objectives.”
“The expressions from the students here is a strong and clear message to the government that we don’t want and need the tenancy bill in our state,” Pyrtuh said while suggesting that the government must not waste its time holding such public consultations anymore.
Most of the students also expressed reservations against the bill saying it will further dilute the powers of the traditional institutions which are empowered upon them as per the Sixth Scheduled of the Constitution.
The consultation also saw active participation from the teachers of the different schools and colleges in the city.
A Sankerdev College teacher P Syiemlieh said that the draft bill does not look into the welfare of the indigenous people but is a mechanism to protect outsiders who are coming into the state. He said, “Nowhere in the bill it is mentioned that the bill will cater to the interest of our indigenous people and it fails to differentiate the locals from the outsiders.”
Meghalaya forest and environment minister Prestone Tynsong, who is also the Chairman of the Ministerial Committee constituted by the government to facilitate the public consultations, informed that his committee has taken note of the views and suggestions given by the students and would submit its report to the state government for its examination.- By Our Reporter
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