Assam seeks consensus on area

GUWAHATI, January 17: The Assam government will circulate a list of villages proposed for inclusion in the Mising, Rabha-Hajong and Tiwa Autonomous Council areas of the state to the concerned members of the Assembly on Republic Day to elicit their opinion on the demarcation of boundaries of the three councils. This was decided at a tripartite meeting here yesterday between the Centre, the state government and leaders of the autonomy movements belonging to the Mising and the Rabha communities. The meeting also decided that the concerned legislators would get a fortnight's time to put forth their suggestions or objections, if any. Senior leader of the Mising Autonomy Demand Struggling Committee Ronoj Pegu said the meeting also decided that the proposed list of demarcated villages would be considered final if no objection was raised by the concerned legislators or from any quarter during this 15-day timeframe. While the Centre was represented by joint secretary (home) in charge of Northeast, G.K. Pillai, the state government was represented by commissioner and secretary to the chief minister P.P. Verma and other senior officials. All the three councils were set up by the previous Congress government without any demarcated boundary. This prompted the leaders of all the three communities to launch fresh movement demanding immediate demarcation of council areas. Ever since their constitution, these autonomous bodies were being run by the ad hoc bodies appointed by the state government. Following intensified movement by various organisations of Mising, Rabha and Tiwa communities, the AGP-led alliance government constituted a high-powered committee led by state education minister Thaneswar Boro to examine the problems of demarcation of council areas and recommend measures to the state government for a permanent solution. Non-demarcation of the council areas led to the postponement of the panchayat polls for an indefinite period. Though the state election commission had announced that the polls would be held in October-November, members of the Mising and Rabha councils moved the Gauhati High Court citing problems in jurisdiction without proper boundary of the respective councils. Leaders of the autonomy movement reminded the Centre and the state government of the bitter experience that the Bodo organisations underwent over the non-demarcation of Bodoland Autonomous Council Areas (BAC). The BAC was conceived as part of the Bodo Accord signed by the All-Bodo Students' Union and the Bodo People's Action Committee combine with the Centre and the state government in 1993. However, the delay in the implementation of the Bodo Accord, particularly the non-demarcation of the council areas, prompted the Absu-BPAC combine to denounce the Bodo Accord and revive their statehood movement.