Arunachal: Panchayat leaders retain constituencies

Itanagar, May 9: Opposition is mounting fast and hard from various assembly constituencies of Arunachal Pradesh against the Delimitation Commission's draft proposal even after the state government rejected it calling for a 'status quo'.

In separate representations to the chairman of the commission, the panchayat leaders of Taliha (Upper Subansiri), Mecuka and Nari-Koyu in West Siang district while ventilating their grievances on the proposed delimitation have pleaded for retention of the existing constituencies.

Panchayat leaders of Taliha while stating that the constituency had been divided and placed under three different constituencies namely Nacho, Daporijo East and Dumporijo in the draft proposals have claimed that the people of the same clan and families were dispersed in different constituencies. They urged the commission not to impose such political injustice to the people by separating the same clan and family in different assembly constituencies.

The Nacho assembly segment is having different sub-division, comprising of four circles namely Taksing, Lemeking, Nacho and Siyum, while Taliha constituency consists of two circles.

The leaders of Mechuka, referring to the delimitation proposals, have opposed the merging of Mechuka constituency under the Liromoba and Rumgong constituencies.

Drawing the attention of the commission, they said that Mechuka was a full-fledged sub-division comprising of four administrative circles namely, Mechuka, Tato, Monigong and Pide and further sought cancellation of propsed merger of the constituency. The members of the Nari-Koyu consitituency also pleaded that being a geographical compact area having a sub-divisional office, separate community development block and two circle headquarters at Koyu and New Seren, the constituency should be retained without amalgamating it in the delimitation process.

They said that Nari-Koyu and Likabali-Gensi were likely to be recognized as a separate district known as Lower Siang, with the intention to reunite the ethnic groups, and the proposal in this regard was under consideration of the state government.

UNI