Five pressure groups to launch ‘Save 7trep Mission’ to pressurize Govt to fulfill 9-point charter of demands

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 25, 2022

Five pressure groups on Monday decided to soon launch the ‘Save Hynniewtrep Mission’ by organizing a series of agitations for pressurizing the state government to fulfill the nine-point charter of demands that include the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) before the 2023 Assembly polls.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the five pressure groups – Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), East Jaintia National Council (EJNC), Jaintia Students’ Movement (JSM), Hynniewtrep Achik National Movement (HANM) and the Confederation of Ri Bhoi People (CoRP).

“There will be a series of agitations in the next few days to ensure that the state government comply with the nine-point charter of demands before the model code of conduct (MCC) comes to effect in the state in view of the upcoming 2023 Assembly elections,” HYC general secretary Roykupar Synrem told reporters.

Synrem said the five pressure groups are also demanding the immediate relocation of the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong, to review the MoU signed under the first phase of border talks with Assam, to punish the police officials involved in the killing of ex-HNLC leader Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, action against people involved in the various scams, resolving unemployment crisis, reviewing of the office memorandum on job recruitment at the district level and repealing of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act (MRGA), 2021.

According to him, these are long pending issues which are affecting the people of the Hynniewtrep land.

He however refused to divulge further details on the plan of action by saying that, “there will be agitations which will be made known to the press and there will also be surprise agitations.”

Slamming the Conrad K Sangma government for its failure to aggressively pursue with the Centre for implementation of the ILP and inclusion of Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, Synrem said, “The two official resolutions passed by the state government are only an eye wash and a ploy to tame people’s protests but in fact they have no seriousness to ensure these two issues get the approval of the Centre.”

Stating that corruption in the present regime is plenty, the HYC leader said the state has witnessed irregularities in the implementation of the Saubhagya scheme, smart meter projects, collapse of the Assembly dome, rice scam and others.

“All these scams have happened during the tenure of this present regime and unfortunately, the reports of the many inquiries are yet to be made public. Therefore, we demand that there should be an independent or a CBI inquiry to ensure all those people who are involved should be prosecuted as per law,” he added.  

Demanding the government to speed up the recruitment process against the thousands sanctioned posts, Synrem said, “As per an RTI activist there are over 8,000 sanctioned posts which are yet to fill up. If this is the case then what happens to the money that has been sanctioned for the creation of these sanctioned posts. Where is the government spending this money? These are the questions that we need to ask the government. Therefore, we demand before the government that all the sanctioned posts should be filled up as soon as possible.”

Accusing the government of doing injustice to the Khasi and Jaintia people while referring to a recent office memorandum for job recruitment at the district level, the HYC general secretary said, “We found out that this office memorandum is tilted towards our friends from the Garo Hills…saying that they will get 80% reservation at the DSC level. This is an injustice to the Hynniewtrep people.”

When asked, he further elaborated by saying, “we are concern with the office memorandum which was notified by the state government for jobs at the DSC level in which our Garo friends are getting 80%  and when it comes to our Khasi Jaintia Hills districts we have to give them also some reservations. So we think that if they can get 80% in their own district, why should they get another 40% in other districts in Khasi-Jaintia Hills.”

Further, the five pressure groups also demanded the state government to either pass an ordinance or immediately call a special session to repeal the MRGA, 2021 to close the chapter of setting up of casinos in the state once and for all.

“Although the state government and the taxation minister have already announced that this issue has been put to a stop or they will repeal the Act but until and unless they bring a repealing Act we won’t believe them as time and again, they are trying to mislead the people. We will believe them till they bring an ordinance in this effect or they will call for a special session for tabling the repealing Act,” Synrem said.

Meanwhile, the HYC leader said that the meeting has also resolved to demand the government to evict all illegal settlers from Them Iew Mawlong.

“The government should ensure that only the genuine settlers should be rehabilitated,” he said while asserting the need for the government to resolve this long pending demand for relocation of the Sweepers’ Colony at the earliest.