Mahendra P Lama on Sixth Schedule

The "Nagarik Suraksha Samiti", a Darjeeling based social organisation, is organizing an interactive session to discuss about the issue of Sixth Schedule on 6 January at Gymkhana, Darjeeling. The programme, which was originally schedule to be held on 29 December. The resource person of the programme is Dr. Mahendra P Lama, to whom any queries and the impact of the Sixth Schedule to common people and its places, will be discussed with a very open mind, without political leaning or any preconceived notions.

The "Nagarik Suraksha Samiti" has invited all conscious citizens of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong to attend the meet. The programme is an effort to understand the Sixth Schedule and its intricacies of the new provision on a neutral ground. The Sixth Schedule status for Darjeeling have been discussed only on the political platform, GNLF has termed the Sixth Schedule a historic development for the hill people, while the opposition has categorically rejected that present Sixth schedule for Darjeeling hills is a weapon to divide our community and to kill the demand of separate state forever.

The Sixth Schedule entails providing legislative powers to the new dispensation. However, there are certain areas, like the setting up of a separate judicial system according to tribal laws, which have not been fully clarified. While such provision are there in the Constitution specifically to safeguard tribal customs and traditional laws, it is not yet known if such a system could be worked out for Gorkha hill council Darjeeling. People here have found it difficult to fully understand the provisions of the new status as different bodies like the Bodo Territorial Council or Carbi Council, set up under the Sixth Schedule, have slight variations in the provisions protected for their functioning.