Shutdown to oppose polls

Social groups take out a rally at Baghmara in South Garo Hills on Tuesday.
Shillong, July 13 : Social organisations today announced a seven-day shutdown in Garo hills, beginning Friday, to oppose the Meghalaya government’s decision to hold civic polls to Baghmara municipal board in South Garo Hills district.
The Garo Students’ Union, Federation of A’chik Freedom, Tura Government College Students’ Union and the Federation of Khasi and Jaintia and Garo People today organised public rallies in all the subdivisions and municipal areas of Garo hills before deciding to hold the shutdown from Friday till July 21.
Speaking over phone from Tura, Garo Students’ Union general secretary John Miltu said, “The rallies were successful as many people came out to support the organisations that are opposed to the civic polls. Even students are supporting us.”
He said the shutdown would be observed throughout Garo hills. “We want the government to call off the civic polls as the people do not want municipal elections to be held,” Miltu said.
In Shillong, the Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo People asked the government to go slow on the polls. “Since the people are against the polls, the government should not take swift decisions,” FKJGP president Emlang Lytan said.
On June 27, the government had announced that elections to the Baghmara municipal board would be held on August 6 and counting would take place on August 9.
The decision to hold civic elections to the four municipal boards in the Garo hills — Baghmara, Tura, Williamnagar and Resubelpara — beginning with Baghmara, was taken by the Meghalaya United Alliance cabinet on June 25.
The cabinet verdict was apparently an offshoot of the May 30 order of the Shillong bench of Gauhati High Court, which directed the state government to hold civic polls in Garo hills by September this year. However, the decision to impose the civic polls has apparently backfired as social organisations have been unrelenting on the issue.
Ampareen Lyngdoh, after taking over as the minister for urban affairs and municipal administration, said she would hold discussions with all stakeholders in Shillong and Tura on the civic polls.
Last year, there was arson in various parts of Garo hills when the government tried to hold the civic elections.
The polls had to be abandoned as the law and order was not conducive.