Shillong, Apr 27 : Under pressure from ngos, the
Meghalaya government today decided to do away with the special
cell for enrollment of voters here, as a first step to check
that no dubious voters were enrolled.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting
convened by Home Minister H D R Lyngdoh and the Election
Minister J A Lyngdoh with government officials.
"The government has decided to remove the special
voter facilitation cell at the DC's office as a first step to
pacifying the NGOs," Lyngdoh told PTI.
He said, the special facilitation cell would be
shifted to the room of the additional district magistrate at
the office of the DC.
On the enrollment drives in four Khasi Jaintia Hills
districts, the home minister said the government would decide
at a later time.
According to the government's decision, the voter
registration forms would be distributed by the ADM in charge
of East Khasi Hills district, D M Wahlang.
East Khasi Hills district authorities have registered
more than 3000 additional voters from January 5 this year, out
of which less than 500 were non-indigenous eligible voters.
Earlier in the day, talks were held between Meghalaya
government and four tribal bodies, protesting the alleged
enrollment of doubtful voters in the state.
A delegation of the NGOs met the home minister and
election minister, Chief Election officer P Naik and other
senior election and police department officials and demanded
that enrollment drives at special cells at the offices of
deputy commissioners and sub divisional officers should be
stopped.
Khasi Students Union, Federation of Khasi Jaintia and
Garo People, Synjuk Seng Samla Shnong and Hynniewtrep National
Youth Front had yesterday called a two-day road blockade in
protest against alleged enrolment of doubtful voters in the
state. They demanded that migrants and foreign nationals did
not get voting rights.
"We have asked the government to put on hold the
enrollment drive through special cells at the offices of the
deputy commissioner and the subdivisions," Khasi Students
Union chief Daniel Khyriem told reporters after the meeting.
Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People acting
president Joe Marwein said, "Enrollment drives should be
conducted at village level to prevent any dubious voter from
getting themselves enrolled in the state."