DCA Minister asks Shylla to “exercise restrain”

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaFebruary 9, 2019

SHILLONG: District Council Affairs Minister James K Sangma on Friday asked the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Chief HS Shylla to exercise restrain before making statements.

This came a day after Shylla had slammed the state government for claiming that the Bill related to the implementation of the Inner Line Permit, passed by the KHADC was outside the legislative competency of the district council.

“…I think a little bit of restrain must be exercise before you make statement. He (Shylla) is of course an elected representative but I think we must weigh our words before we speak them out,” Sangma told reporters here.

On the decision of the KHADC to file a petition to challenge the state government on the matter, Sangma said, “He (Shylla) is entitled to his own opinion and what we have stated is as per the law. He can always and is welcome to go wherever he wants to go and do whatever he wants to do it is a democratic country.”

Asked, the DCA Minister informed that the state government has already forwarded the Bill passed by the KHADC to the Governor for his consideration.

“It (Bill) has been forwarded to the Governor. The Governor will exercise his mind and whatever decision will be taken by him. However, the government made it very clear it has consulted with law department and DCA and we have done a very thorough job in making the reply. We have already sent that reply to the district council that it is outside the legislative competence of the district council,” he said.

The outgoing Chief Executive Member said to say that the Bill is outside the legislative competency of the district council only reflects that the law department of the government is “very weak”.

“The DCA department has also committed a blunder by sending the letter to the KHADC instead of referring it to the Governor. This only shows that the government due to lack of understanding is treating the KHADC as its department,” he said.

He said the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 is one of the many laws listed under the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District (Application of Laws) Regulation, 1952, which according to the Supreme Court’s ruling ‘still continues to operate’.

Shylla was referring to the a case filed in 1971 challenging the validity of the Regulation, 1952 promulgated by the Governor of Assam under paragraph 19 (1)(b) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution.