ITANAGAR, Dec 23: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), along with several district- and community-based student organisations, has sought more time for the joint high power committee (JHPC) to conduct a thorough study of the permanent resident certificate (PRC) issue in the state.
During a consultative meeting chaired here by AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai, various district student unions (DSU) and community-based student organizations of the affected districts of Papum Pare, Changlang, Namsai and Lohit strongly opposed the granting of PRCs to non-APSTs, and opined that the January 2019 deadline for submission of the JHPC report is not sufficient as “proper documentation, area visits, mechanism to be adopted and other important issues are yet to be decided and finalized.”
They opined that there should be a proper timeframe for the JHPC to thoroughly study all the aspects of the issue, so that the concerns of all the indigenous stakeholders are duly addressed.
“All the members expressed strong opinions against unilateral announcement for granting of PRCs to non-APSTs in Namsai and Changlang districts,” the AAPSU stated in a release on Sunday evening.
The AAPSU said it has noted the concerns and opinions of the members from the affected districts and would incorporate them in the union’s submission to the JHPC after studying them.
It said the participants strongly condemned the statements made by Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy CM Chowna Mein, “undermining the authority of the JHPC.” They also took a strong view of the repeated statements made in similar tones by other individuals in favour of granting PRCs to non-APSTs in Namsai and Changlang districts, it said.
The meeting was convened as a confidence-building measure among all the stakeholders with regard to the issue of granting PRCs to the six non-APST communities of Namsai and Changlang districts, the Mikirs of Papum Pare, and the ex-servicemen belonging to the Gorkha community in Vijaynagar.
Representatives of the All Papum Pare District Students’ Union, the All Nyishi Students’ Union, the All Namsai District Students’ Union, the All Tai-Khampti Singpho Students’ Union, the All Lohit District Students’ Union, the All Mishmi Students’ Union, the All Changlang District Students’ Union, the All Tangsa Students’ Union and the Yobin Welfare Society attended the meeting.
