by Anup Biswas

Haflong  : Through the press, the  Dimasa Students Union and many others appealed Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister to reconsider the decision to abolish Hill Area Department stated Pramith Sengyung, General Secretary Dimasa Students Union in press meet on Friday.

Sengyung, General Secretary DSU observed that the abolition of the HAD was intended to disrupt the welfare of the remaining hill district of Assam. The decision is against the interest of hill tribes people, it is part of the larger design to politically exterminate Karbi, Dimasa and other hill tribes people of Karbi Anglong  bifurcated in 2016) and Dima Hasao. 

They strongly condemned the anti-hill tribe people attitude of a section of the Assamese leaders and the State Government. They would prefer Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao to be separated from Assam to save the hill tribe people from being politically exterminated.

The categorization of the scheduled Tribe of Assam into two categories is in the Presidential Order, 1950, as amended from time to time, is a constitutional safeguard provided to the hill tribe people. It has been necessitated by the socio-cultural dissimilarities between the Hill and Plain Tribes of the State caused by the physical environment prevalent in the hill areas and the natural characteristics of the hill tribe people. The wide disparities between the hill and plain tribes in their stages of development still exist.

Initially, the Sixth Schedule has been framed as a “different sort of scheme” exclusively for administration of the then six Hill Districts of Assam specified in Part A of the table appended to Paragraph 20 of the Sixth Schedule as it was first enacted with provision of application of the provision to Part B areas. They have no objection against the extension of the provision to other tribes and areas of the State of Assam, but we have strong objection against the cabinet’s decision to bring the two categories of tribes of the State under one Department. We, through the press, appeal Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister to reconsider the decision to abolish Hill Area Department. Also, we appeal Sri Sum Ronghang, HAD Minister, four other MLAs from Hill Area and the KAAC and the DHAC to raise their voice against the decision. Failure on the part of the State Cabinet to reconsider its decision immediately, we would be compelled to recourse to full-scale agitation.

They registered their protest against the State Cabinet’s decision to abolish the Hill Areas Department (HAD) replacing it with the Sixth Schedule Area Department Recently, the State Cabinet as appeared in a section of the press, has taken a decision to constitute Sixth Schedule Area Department and to abolish the existing Hill Areas Department.