Shillong, April 25: The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (COMSO) on Thursday demanded the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) to address issues of alleged unchecked rise in immigrant influx into the Garo Hills region, the misuse of tribal trading licences, and the issuance of Trading by Non-Tribal (TNT) and hawkers licences to non-tribal individuals without due verification.
The comprehensive memorandum was submitted to the GHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Albinus R Marak by a delegation of the COMSO – comprising senior members, traditional leaders, and representatives from affiliated socio-cultural groups.
Some of the key points in the memorandum included the demand for immediate moratorium on Issuance of TNT Licences to Non-Tribals pending a comprehensive verification and regulatory mechanism.
The COMSO has demanded halt on the issuance of hawkers licences to prevent unregulated street vending by non-indigenous persons and to institute a structured documentation process to check infiltration from outside the state, digitalisation of Licence Records and Trade Establishments, including TNT, Hawkers, and Shops, with a publicly accessible database, installation of TNT Licence Check Gates at key entry corridors and trade routes across Garo Hills to monitor commercial movement.
They have also asked the GHADC to immediately stop to issuance of Tribal Trading Licences to Non-Tribals through proxy arrangements, which undermines the very essence of tribal economic protections.
“We also call upon the GHADC to pass a resolution urging the State Government to move the Central Government for a constitutional amendment of the Scheduled Tribes Order, 1950, in order to rectify long-standing anomalies and protect genuine tribal identities,” they also stated in the memorandum
Further, the COMSO emphasized the need for GHADC to convene a Special Session of the Council at the earliest to deliberate on the issues and to pass an official resolution reflecting the collective will of the people of the Garo Hills.
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