TUR exposes loopholes in Village Administration Bill

FROM A CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG, May 17: A citizens’ group today said that legislation such as the Village Administration Bill, 2014 passed by the KHADC ensures devolution of powers to the people at the village level, participatory, inclusive and deliberative mechanisms and transparent and accountable democratic self-government, which that is structurally and fincially independent. “The Village Administration Bill 2014, is a flawed piece of legislation, interlly inconsistent, legally unteble and violative of our constitutiol rights,” Angela Rangad and Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh of the Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) or “Commoners’ Upsurge” said. TUR said that after studying the draft Village Administration Bill 2011 and the bill passed by KHADC in 2014, the provisions of the law from its draft to the Bill as passed, have only further deteriorated in favour of undemocratic and autocratic provisions. According to TUR, the language of the bill is exclusiory and patriarchal and hence ucceptable. TUR said that the Bill uses masculine terms and thereby exposes the strong gender biases and discrimition held by the representatives. “The crucial clauses of this bill have been designed to usurp powers that are conventiolly vested with the Dorbar Shnong or the people by centralising authority with the Rangbah Shnong and the Executive Committee of the District Council – offices that are themselves non transparent and uccountable and require urgent reform,” TUR said.