ex-Garo rebels of pursying
Proposed Constitutional amendment for empowering ADCs
Shillong, Sep 26: The state government has assured the disbanded Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) and its breakaway group ANVC-B of pursuing with Centre the passage of 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill.
The amendment, a key to full implementation of the Agreed Text for Settlement signed with the Garo rebel groups in 2014, aims at granting more financial, executive and administrative powers to the autonomous district councils (ADCs) in the state.
The assurance was made after a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong in presence of chief secretary DP Wahlang, DGP I Nongrang, and members of ANVC and ANVC-B on Friday.
Meanwhile, 50-60% of the agreement’s aspirations have already been met, Tynsong told reporters after the meeting.
He said full implementation of the agreement is possible after 125th amendment to the Constitution, which is currently under examination in Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha, which has referred it to the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) and the PSC recently made its recommendations to the MHA.
“So, we will pursue aggressively that the amendment should be passed by the Parliament,” Tynsong said.
“We have hurdles (to fully implement the agreement) because until the amendment is passed because it links to the constitution of India,” he added.
Since additional subjects need to be transferred to the ADCs, this has to be amended in the Parliament, he explained.
Meanwhile, the deputy chief minister also announced the government’s decision to appoint a dedicated nodal officer to coordinate between the government, ANVC & ANVC-B, and the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) to facilitate the implementation of the agreement.
“The nodal officer will play a crucial role in ensuring that the agreement is implemented clause by clause and point by point, and will meet with ANVC & ANVC-B members regularly at Tura,” he said.
The meeting also discussed various developmental projects, including road construction, forest preservation, and cultural initiatives, such as auditoriums, libraries, and cultural centers.
Admitting that members of ANVC and ANVC-B are still not satisfied, he assured of seeing that subjects mentioned in the agreement would be fully complied by the state government.
The funds for implementing the Garo Accord will partly come from the Centre and partly from the State government, he mentioned.
The deputy chief minister also claimed that the government has cleared the surrender package for over 500 ANVC and ANVC-B members, with each member entitled to Rs 1.50 lakh and a monthly stipend of Rs 3,500 for six months.
According to him, there is no attempt of regrouping in Garo Hills.
“The Agreed Text Agreement is 95% more or less is about development. With development, I am very sure this kind of thinking will no longer will be there,” Tynsong stated.
Further, the deputy chief minister said the government has assured that meetings will be held regularly, at least quarterly, to monitor progress and address outstanding issues.
Asked, Tynsong said, “We discussed a lot about the district council. The Text Agreed Settlement says that the government should further strengthen the ADCs and the ADCs should again have more responsibilities in preserving the indigenous people and not only that even the function of the ADC should further be strengthened. Therefore, it links to the amendment of the Sixth Schedule.”
