Call to raise key KSU demands in Assembly starting August 24
Shillong, Aug 21: Rejected permission by the district administration for its scheduled protest rally on Friday, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has altered its agitation plan and instead submitted memorandums to all 36 legislators of Khasi-Jaintia region.
The KSU was supposed to take out a procession and hold a sit-in demonstration at Khyndailad, which was not permitted by East Khasi Hills district administration following widespread violence by miscreants during a KSU bike rally on Wednesday.
Petitions have been submitted to all 36 MLAs of Khasi Hills as part of efforts to pressure the representatives to raise the five demands placed by the Union before the State Government, KSU assistant general secretary Pynshai Rani said in a statement.
Efforts will also be made to submit memorandums to the 24 legislators from the Garo Hills region, he said.
The submission of petitions, ahead of the Assembly session beginning August 24, was carried out by members from Units and Circles falling under the constituencies that the MLAs represent.
“MLAs are elected by the people and it is their duty to speak on matters that affect employment opportunities and the hardships of the entire community as well. Therefore the organization leaves it to the wisdom of the representatives on the duty that they should perform,” Rani said.
Reiterating its stand, the KSU said the Union will not sit idle and will continue to fight for its demands until the state government fully implements its aspirations.
As part of its future course of action, the Union has decided to hold a sit-in demonstration on August 24 at the statue of U Woh Kiang Nangbah opposite Shillong Civil Hospital from 11 am onwards.
On August 25, sit-in demonstrations will be held in seven districts of Khasi and Jaintia Hills, it said.
The KSU also clarified that it will not hold any agitation programme on August 22 to avoid inconvenience to candidates appearing for the LDA examination conducted by the MPSC.
Among its key demands, the KSU has sought scrapping of the public hearing of Shree Cement held on July 31 and action against the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of East Jaintia Hills and officials of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board for their alleged role in the hearing.
The Union has also demanded immediate implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016 along with entry and exit facilitation centres, implementation of the Inner Line Permit under the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation, 1873, and enforcement of the amended Meghalaya Identification and Registration of Migrant Workers Act, 2020, which it said has been pending for over two years.
Other demands include resolving the recruitment issues at NEIGRIHMS as assured by the government in May this year and bringing reforms in state recruitment by abolishing personal interviews for Grade B (non-gazetted), Grade C and Grade D posts, reforming the MPSC and DSC, and framing a Standard Operating Procedure for all recruitment boards.
