‘Disallow participation of non-locals in Panchayati Raj system’

ITANAGAR, Mar 20: Claiming that retired non-local Assam Rifles’ personnel have been allowed to participate in the Panchayati Raj Institution in Vijoynagar circle under Changlang district, the All Yobin Students’ Union (AYSU) has appealed to the state government to disallow their participation in the Panchayati Raj system.
In a representation to the chief minister on Tuesday, the AYSU has stated that permitting non-local settlers to engage in the local self-government is unfair to the locals and goes against the spirit and intention of the panchayat laws.
The union claimed that after its creation as an administrative headquarters in 1962, the Vijoynagar circle witnessed forced settlement of 200 retired army personnel and families in the already Yobin inhabited villages.
“Our Yobin tribe has already been facing a lot of marginalization issues. The circle is without roads. We suffer from multiple problems and now our community is forced to “compete” with a group of settlers in the panchayat system,” the union added.
It has further appealed to the state government to fulfil its promise to ensure early rectification of its earlier notification as per which the Scheduled Tribe status to the Yobin tribe was cancelled.