Tura, August 8, 2026: The Regional Council Demand Committee (RCDC), representing Other Scheduled Tribes (OSTs) residing in the plain-belt areas of Garo Hills, has submitted a memorandum and constitutional explanatory note to the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), seeking an appointment to discuss its demand for the establishment of a Regional Council under Paragraph 1(2) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
The committee represents communities including the Hajong, Koch, Boro-Kachari, Rabha and Mann. The RCDC said the demand is intended to address the distinct administrative, geographical and customary governance needs of the plain-belt communities and does not seek the creation of a separate autonomous district or the division of Garo Hills. In its submission, the committee also sought to address concerns among the Garo community and civil society groups, assuring that the proposal would not affect the traditional institutions, customary practices or land rights of the Garo people.
The RCDC specifically stated that the Nokma institution, Akhing land system, Garo customary laws and traditional social institutions would remain unaffected and protected. The committee further maintained that the GHADC would continue to remain the apex autonomous institution of Garo Hills and that its constitutional status, authority and political representation would not be diluted.
According to the RCDC, the proposed Regional Council would function as a complementary institution within the existing GHADC framework and would not involve the removal of any territory from the autonomous district. Explaining the basis of its demand, the committee pointed to differences between the administrative and customary systems followed in the plain-belt and hill areas. While plain-belt communities generally follow the Mouza and patta land system along with the Gaonbura setup, the hill areas have traditionally operated through Akhing lands and the institution of Nokmas.
The RCDC said Paragraph 1(2) of the Sixth Schedule provides constitutional scope for accommodating such regional differences where different Scheduled Tribes inhabit distinct areas within an autonomous district. The committee also cited the Pawi-Lakher Regional Council, established in 1951, as a historical example of regional administrative arrangements within the Sixth Schedule framework.
The RCDC further claimed that the Governor of Meghalaya has previously recognised the demand as genuine and recommended favourable consideration. The committee has urged the GHADC Executive Committee to examine the proposal in the spirit of constitutional accommodation and tribal solidarity, while reiterating that its demand is not intended to undermine the GHADC or the traditional institutions and land systems of the Garo community.