Guwahati: A renewed call has emerged in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills amid ongoing demands to remove non-tribal names from the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) electoral rolls.
The suggestions now focus on renaming villages that carry non-Garo titles to names derived from the Garo language and cultural identity.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, April 15, the Niksamso Garo Community Organization (NGCO) said that the Garo Hills region is more than just a place on the map.
It described the region as a reflection of the community’s heritage, traditions, and identity.
The group also listed several locations it believes require attention, naming parts of Tura such as Araimile, Dermile and Baromile, along with areas including Phulbari, Rajabala, Selsella, Baitbari, Gimaijhora, Miljumla, Batabari, Balachanda, Bajengdoba, Holdibari and other nearby settlements.
The NGCO has called on the GHADC to swiftly conduct a survey of villages in the Garo Hills that carry non-Garo names.
It has also requested that these settlements be renamed using indigenous terms from the Garo language.