After CM’s Statement, Haflongbar Pushes for Article 244(A) in Hill Areas

Samarjit Haflongbar, former MLA and former Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC), has said that the implementation of Article 244(A) of the Indian Constitution is the only permanent solution to the long-standing issues faced by the state’s hill districts.

Speaking on the matter, Haflongbar recalled that when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state, Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills (now Dima Hasao) were also given the option to join the new state. However, he said, the elected members and autonomous councils of both districts chose to remain with Assam, with the expectation that meaningful autonomy and constitutional safeguards would be provided.

Over the years, Haflongbar said, the powers of the autonomous councils have been steadily diluted, while governance has become increasingly Dispur-centric, leading to growing dissatisfaction among people in the hill districts. This, he added, is why demands for greater autonomy and the implementation of Article 244(A) have continued for decades, including discussions at the parliamentary level.

Welcoming Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statement on January 15, in which the Assam government indicated its readiness to move forward with Article 244(A) in Karbi Anglong, Haflongbar described it as a positive and hopeful signal for the people of both Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.

He said that eviction drives and temporary administrative actions cannot provide lasting solutions, and stressed that only constitutional empowerment through Article 244(A), which provides for the creation of an autonomous state within Assam, can address the root causes of unrest and political alienation in the hill districts.

Referring to the Chief Minister’s remarks that Article 244(A) is crucial for a permanent solution in Assam’s hill areas, Haflongbar thanked Himanta Biswa Sarma for recognising the long-cherished aspirations of the people of Dima Hasao and East and West Karbi Anglong.

He urged the Chief Executive Members and elected representatives of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council to actively support the process by passing formal resolutions and forwarding proposals to the Central Government through the State Government.

Haflongbar said the autonomous councils should follow the same route adopted when the Assam government forwarded proposals to New Delhi for granting Scheduled Tribe status to six communities.

“If the Chief Minister has acknowledged the importance of Article 244(A), then the autonomous councils must also give this issue top priority and work together to move it forward,” he said.

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