The All Papum Pare District Students’ Union (APPDSU) has demanded that the Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein withdraw his Friday’s statement that non-APST communities settled in Lekang constituency of Namsai district would get permanent resident certificates (PRCs) as a New Year gift.
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In a press statement issued on Saturday, the union said that, as per the court’s directive, the chairman of the JHPC alone could not take the decision without involving all the stakeholders and seeking prior approval from all the members of the JHPC.
“Non-APST communities settled in Lekang constituency of Namsai district should know the fact that none of their elected representatives has attended any meeting of the JHPC till date to voice for their rights,” the APPDSU, which is a member of the JHPC on the PRC issue for non-APSTs settled in Arunachal Pradesh, said.
Stating that the matter ‘is not confined to the constituency and the district alone,’ the union asserted that such ‘statement from a very responsible person like him (Mein), holding a very high position in the State Government, is very condemnable.
“Such irresponsible statement can create chaos and confusion in the State,” the APPDSU further said.
The union has threatened to launch a democratic movement against the State Government if the statement is not withdrawn.
Notably, the State Government constituted a joint high-power committee (JHPC), led by Environment & Forests Minister Nabam Rebia as its chairman, earlier this year which is yet to table its report.