ATSUM takes ADC Bill demand to tribal villages
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 17 2021: Continuing with its demand that the ADC Bill recommended by the Hill Areas Committee be tabled in the Assembly, the All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur organised a series of 'symbolic demonstration' in all the tribal villages of the State today.

Coming out against the refusal of the State Government to table the said Bill, ATSUM said that it has been spearheading a series of protest movement, starting with the 24 hours total shutdown in all the hill districts on August 23 followed by a Tribal Consultative meeting on August 24 at Motbung.

Giving a brief recap of the series of protests held since then, ATSUM said that it has been boycotting the 'appeasement' policy of the State Government and boycotted the Go to Hills 2.0 programme.

The ADC Bill recommended by the Hill Areas Committee is meant to promote equitable development in the State by empowering the ADCs, said ATSUM and added that it aims to bridge the development chasm between the hills and the valley.

ATSUM takes ADC Bill demand to tribal villages

Being a multi-ethnic State broadly divided into hills and valley, administration of the State was arranged to safeguard the interest of all communities, said ATSUM and added that even before Manipur attained Statehood Section 52 of the erstwhile Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 provided a provision for constituting a Standing Committee of the Assembly of the Union Territory of Manipur consisting of members representing the hill areas, said the student body.

Just a year before Manipur became a full fledged State in 1972, a special provision was incorporated to ensure the safeguards of the hill areas in the Constitution through Article 371 C in 1971, added ATSUM.

The Hill Areas Committee was then entrusted to look into the affairs of all scheduled matters in relation to the hill areas of the State, said ATSUM and added that the affairs of the ADCs were Constitutionally placed solely under the purview of the HAC.

However the ADC Act of 1971 has been amended several times at the fancy and whims of whichever Government was in power defeating the Constitutional intentions and provisions for the last 49 years, alleged ATSUM and added that the ADC Bill was prepared to assert the Constitutional rights of the ADCs.

Giving more details on how the Bill was not tabled in the Assembly, the student body said Members of HAC cutting across all political parties unanimously adopted the Manipur (Hill Areas) Autonomous District Councils Bill, 2021 on August 16, seeking to repeal and replace the Manipur (Hill Areas) Autonomous District Council Act, 1971 .

The Bill was recommended by HAC on August 17 and placed before the State Government to table in the last Monsoon session.

However the Bill was abruptly denied by the State Government and ignored throughout the Monsoon session, said ATSUM.

The student body further said that the widespread support received today is testimony that this is the first step and added that no stone will be left unturned 'to realize our goals as envisaged and protected by the Constitution of India' .