SHILLONG:
Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Deputy Chief Executive Member Pynshngain N. Syiem has informed that the Village Administration Bill (VAB) needs to be properly examined.
He informed that after the VAB was recalled, it was returned to the KHADC.
“What has happened? From District Council Affairs to the Governor, there was no provision for the Governor to forward the Bill to the Home Ministry but it was forwarded anyway, wherein 12 queries surfaced. They wanted clarity on these 12 points,” he said.
Governor exempt central law
On the other hand, Syiem raised a concern that transferring the power of exemption from the Governor of the state to the President of India has been a major loss to the District Councils.
As per the first Sixth Schedule, he said that the power of exempting central laws from being applied in the Sixth Schedule areas was with the Governor of the state and currently it lies with the President of India.
He said, “The Governor can exempt any central law that does not conform to our customs and practices. One word from the council of ministers, a central law can be exempted. After the amendment in 1972, the exemption power of the Governor was transferred to the President of India, the problem now is that the President will not listen to the Council of ministers of the state, but will heed the advice of the council of ministers in the union government. This is our loss.”
He said that the amendment of the Sixth Schedule should be for the benefit of the District Council.
It may be mentioned that Para 12 A (b) of the Sixth Schedule states, “The President may, with respect to any Act of Parliament, by notification, direct that it shall not apply to an autonomous district or an autonomous region in the State of Meghalaya, or shall apply to such district or region or any part thereof subject to such exceptions or modifications as he may specify in the notification and any such direction may be given so as to have retrospective effect.”