Dudhnoi, Oct 17: Garo Autonomous Council Demand Committee (GACDC) organized a public meeting at Silluk village playground in Dudhnoi on Thursday, objecting to the constitution of a new committee for the Garo Development Council (GDC) instead of granting the Garo community in Assam an autonomous council.
Leaders and members of the Garo Autonomous Council (GNC), Garo Women Council (GWC), Garo Youth Council (GYC), All Garo Gaonburha Association and other organizations along with Garo tribal people from both Kamrup and Goalpara districts took part in the public meeting against the Garo Development Council (GDC).
President of the GACDC, Benhur Sangma, presided over the meeting in which former Chairman of Garo Development Council (GDC) Alex K Sangma, Social Activist Riya Sangma took part as Chief Guests.
Enindra U. Marak, General Secretary of the GNC said, “We are shocked that despite our long pending demand, the state government has disregarded us and once again new committee for GDC is being formed under the patronage of the Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly Dr. Numal Momin. We will never accept it.”
The former Chairman of GDC said that the Assam government had promised that the development council would be upgraded to an autonomous council. However, the Assam government has been cheating the Garo community and the government has not fulfilled the long pending demand.
Alex said, “The state government cheated us for about two years by giving GDC without cabinet approval, but last year the cabinet approved the GDC and this happened only because of the faults of Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly Dr. Numal Momin. Therefore, we did not get any budget in the past two years, but last year we were sanctioned a budget of Rs. 33 lakh and from there we have started some development works immediately.”
A social activist from the Garo community, Riya Sangma said, “We people living in Assam have been demanding Garo Autonomous Council for a long time. Government promised us to give funds every year to develop our community, but we did not get anything as promised.”
“In Assam, more than 7 lakh people from the Garo community live in around 853 villages. However, very less populated tribal communities have already got the Autonomous Council for their comprehensive development. So, we are the second largest community in Assam, however, the state government gave us a development council instead of the autonomous council.”
Riya further alleged, “The Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly Dr. Numal Momin, has promised that after GDC, it will be upgraded to the Autonomous Council and we believed, because he is one of our brothers. But now Momin again created another committee for GDC even after the old committee’s term was over.”
“We hoped from him that he would help us with an autonomous council, but we were betrayed by him. So we will continue our protest to achieve the GAC,” Sangma said.
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