Shillong, March 4: The Meghalaya government today decided to constitute a committee which will recommend ways and means to empower and institutionalise traditional institutions in Khasi Jaintia hills of Meghalaya.
The decision to form the committee came up at a consultative meeting between the state government and representatives of various traditional organisations in urban and rural areas and those of political parties.
The meeting, which deliberated on the need to institutionalise traditional institutions, was chaired by chief minister Mukul Sangma. Other ministers, chief secretary and officials were present.
The discussion on the issue was significant following a hue and cry after an order passed by Meghalaya High Court on December 10 last year. It questioned the power of rangbah shnongs (headmen) who are the heads of the village dorbar in Khasi-Jaintia hills.
The meeting has chosen former chief minister and chief adviser to the Meghalaya government, D.D. Lapang, as the chairman of the committee. Chief executive members and members from the Opposition party of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council will be members of the committee. It was agreed that members of the committee should be drawn from various traditional bodies, including Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong (forum of headmen), from both urban and rural areas of Khasi Jaintia hills.
Each forum of headmen should nominate two representatives as members of the committee and each political party should nominate one representative, besides representatives from civil society.
The names of the representatives should be submitted to the political department within 48 hours.
Officials of the state government are members of the committee. The meeting also resolved to assign the political department to issue an official notification which includes terms of reference as well as names of all members of the newly-constituted committee.
Mukul termed the outcome of the discussion "satisfactory" with lots of futuristic approaches on empowerment of traditional institutions, as well as in matters of governance.
Moreover, the meeting decided that the state government, through the district council affairs #department, should interact regularly with autonomous district councils, especially on pending bills.
Sangma told reporters the state government, through the district council affairs department, would indicate specific points to the Khasi council on the need to address the drawbacks in the village administration bill.
The chief minister has also agreed to hold a separate meeting with the chief executive member of Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, Adelbert Nongrum, tomorrow to discuss, among other things, bills passed by the council which are still pending with the government.