SHILLONG, May 9 � Taking cognisance of the importance of empowering traditional village chiefs in Meghalaya, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today said his Cabinet will pass an ordinance on May 11 before the same could be taken up by the State legislature.
The ordinance was necessitated after Meghalaya High Court struck down the powers of the traditional village chiefs to issue NOCs and also their involvement in the developmental processes in the absence of any legislation.
�To ensure involvement of traditional institutions/heads in matters of development programmes, we will have to seek the mandate of the State legislature to give a legislative mandate to ensure their involvement,� Sangma told reporters after an all party meeting here.
�Since the House is not in session, we have decided to work on an ordinance which will again be re-examined by the Cabinet on Monday,� he said.
The High Court had in December, observed that a village/locality headman did not derive any right from law or from the Constitution to issue NOC for the purpose of birth/death or for registration of any document and for building permission and obtaining loan. � PTI
