Former Haflong MLA and former North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) Executive Member Samarjit Haflongbar has called on the council to consider adopting a mechanism similar to the one recently introduced by the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) to safeguard the political rights of indigenous Scheduled Tribe communities.
Haflongbar said the constitutional framework governing Sixth Schedule areas was intended to protect tribal land, identity, customs, traditions and political representation. Referring to the Sixth Schedule and Article 244(2), he said autonomous district councils had an important role in ensuring these protections for indigenous communities in the Northeast.
He welcomed the GHADC’s move to limit eligibility for contesting council elections to members of the Scheduled Tribe community following an amendment to the relevant rules. He also pointed to the Meghalaya government’s plan to prepare a separate electoral roll for eligible tribal voters in GHADC elections.
According to Haflongbar, the developments in Meghalaya warranted consideration by the NCHAC, particularly in view of concerns over demographic changes in Dima Hasao. He urged the council to examine whether a similar electoral mechanism could be implemented in the district in accordance with constitutional and statutory provisions.
Haflongbar also raised concerns over alleged indiscriminate settlement and the transfer or use of tribal land. He specifically referred to the alleged allocation or transfer of large areas for industrial and corporate projects, saying development should not come at the expense of safeguards applicable to Sixth Schedule areas.
He warned that the large-scale control of tribal land by non-ST corporate groups, followed by the permanent settlement of outside workers and employees, could alter the demographic composition of the region. Such a shift, he said, could eventually affect the political representation of indigenous Scheduled Tribe communities.
He therefore urged the NCHAC Executive Committee to assess the feasibility of maintaining a separate electoral roll comprising eligible ST voters for council elections. He also called for the council to use its Sixth Schedule powers to protect tribal land, natural resources and the demographic interests of indigenous communities.
Haflongbar clarified that his position was not opposed to industrialisation or development. Rather, he said economic progress should be pursued alongside the protection of indigenous rights.
He appealed to the Assam government, the Governor and the NCHAC to conduct a comprehensive review of the issue and take appropriate constitutional and legal steps to protect the political rights of Dima Hasao’s indigenous tribal communities.
