CPM tribal front demands amendment of 6th schedule

From A Correspondent

Agartala, Nov 25 : The Tripura Upajati Gamukti Parishad, the tribal front of CPI(M), has

demanded amendment of the 6th schedule of the constitution to facilitate formation of village council and urban council in the areas under autonomous district councils constituted under this schedule of the constitution.

The demand was made in a memorandum submitted to Union home minister Rajth Singh at Delhi on Thursday by a delegation led by Jiten Choudhury, the newly elected president of the Gamukti Parishad who is also MP from East Tripura Lok Sabha constituency.

Later, Choudhury said they had a very cordial discussion over their 22-point charter of demands with the Union minister who assured to consider the demands fall within his ministry and rest he will forward to the respective ministries.

He said that the amendment of the 6th schedule is necessary to strengthen the democratic system in the grassroot level as well as speed up the development activities in those areas. At present there are provisions of only village committees in the ADC areas which have a very limited power. The other demands include special allocation of funds from NITI Ayog for development of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council areas and also for providing technical assistance for implementation of various projects.

It also demanded inclusion of Kokborok, the language of the majority of tribals in Tripura in the eighth schedule of the constitution, setting up of a station of the All India Radio and a Doordarshan Kendra in the TTAADC area for developement of the tribal culture and literature and setting up of Akalabya School in all the districts of the State to provide quality education to the poor tribal students. Choudhury said that they have also drawn the attention of the Union Home minister about the necessity of construction of a bridge on river Fenny to extend access up to Chittagong port via Ramgarh in Bangladesh.