Gauhati HC issues notice to 14 parties
NON-IMPLEMENTATION OF ASSAM ACCORD
BY OUR STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, Aug 8: A division bench of the Gauhati High Court has issued a notice to 14 parties on August 5 against a PIL (case no. PIL/2016) filed by Assam Andolan Sangrami Mancha (AASM) on the issue of non-implementation of Assam Accord on the foreign tiols issue signed on August 15, 1985 between the AASU, AAGSP and the Central government. The division bench is comprised of Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice Paran Kumar Phukan.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, AASM’s chief convener Kumar Dipak Das said the division bench has given four weeks time to the parties concerned to get back with their replies.
P Pathak, the senior counsel, described the objective of the Assam Accord and submitted that the respondents have failed to protect and promote the cultural, social and the linguistic identity of the Assamese people and no effort was made towards economic development of the State.
The counsel referred to the insignificant numbers of deportation of foreigners and said the detected illegal migrants continue to be in the State. Moreover there has been no significant development in the economic and social conditions of the indigenous people of Assam.
According to him, the expectations of the people who supported the anti-foreigners movement, launched by the student organization have been wholly belied and therefore the respondents should answer about the steps taken by them to implement the Assam Accord in letter and spirit.
The 14 parties to whom the notice has been issued are Secretary, Home Affairs, Government of India; Chief Secretary, Government of Assam; Commissioner & Secretary, Home Department, Government of Assam; Secretary, Assam Accord Implementation Department, Government of Assam; Secretary, Revenue Department, Government of Assam; Secretary, Forest Department, Government of Assam; DGP, Assam; DGP (Border), Assam; Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India; Secretary, Ministry of Fince, Government of India; Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India; Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of India; Secretary, Ministry of Railways, Government of India; and Secretary, Ministry of Shipping and Surface Communication, Government of India.