Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 18 Aug: The Galo community-based organisations, headed by the Galo Welfare Society (GWS), Galo People’s Federation (GPF) and Lower Siang District Movement (LSDM) have rejected the Hage Tari Committee’s (HTC) public hearing held at Kora/Korang circle on Tuesday.
In a joint press conference held here on Wednesday, the organisations claimed that the HTC public hearing was “staged and pre-planned to decide the fate of Kora circle.”
“The HTC public hearing is staged and pre-planned. When the group of ministers (GoM) had already conducted a public hearing and already submitted a report, why was a secretariat level committee formed?” questioned GWS general secretary Gomar Basar, adding: “We outright reject the HTC public hearing and demand an immediate notification of the district based on the cabinet decision.”
“When the public have already consented to stay with Lower Siang district in the hearing held by the GoM in 2017, why was the district administration level committee formed?” he questioned, adding that “the HTC is making a mockery of the GoM.”
Basar squarely blamed the state government for the delay in issuing the Lower Siang district notification after the GoM hearing report, which it said “was the reason for creating misunderstanding among the people of two communities living in harmony for ages in the circle.”
He also contested that The Arunachal Times’ report on the public hearing was “misleading and half-fed information,” adding that “the public hearing was held at five villages on Tuesday. The GoM had successfully conducted public hearing in the year 2017 and had submitted its report to the state government.”
Condemning the stone-pelting incident at Ledum village, GPF GS Reken Ingo claimed that the district administration (DA) of East Siang ignored their cautions on possible law and order situation at Kora during the public hearing and blamed the East Siang DA for failing to prevent the incident.
Reportedly, members of the Galo Students’ Union were also injured during the stone pelting incident.
“How was the public gathering at Ledum allowed when the 144 CrPC was in place,” he asked.
LSDM chairman Nyadar Loya demanded that the state government implement the District Re-organisation Act, 2013 in totality.
Loya also informed that an FIR has been lodged against culprits responsible for the stone-pelting and demanded immediate arrest of the accused.
The organisations also appealed to both the communities to “maintain peace and restrain any provocative statements which may potentially trigger communal disharmony in the area.”
The Ramle Banggo Welfare Society on Tuesday had also objected to the HTC public hearing, which it said, “had been arranged in a clandestine and capricious manner.”
The HTC had successfully conducted public hearings on Tuesday at five villages under Kora/Korang circle to decide which districts it would fall under.
