Shillong, October 7: The Meghalaya Cabinet on Wednesday approved a further six-month extension of the term of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) to allow the authorities additional time to complete the delimitation exercise and electoral roll revision before conducting the council elections.

Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, Cabinet Minister Wailadmiki Shylla said the extension was the only formal agenda discussed during the meeting.

Shylla said the GHADC elections could not be held as scheduled following an incident and the situation that subsequently developed in Garo Hills. The council’s term was earlier extended by six months, with that extension set to expire on October 17.

He said the delimitation exercise and electoral roll revision are still underway, making another extension necessary. The delimitation process is expected to be completed shortly, he added.

According to Shylla, the applicable provisions permit an extension of the council’s term for a total period of one year, through two separate six-month extensions. With the first extension nearing its expiry, the Cabinet approved the second six-month extension to facilitate completion of the remaining electoral preparations.

Shylla expressed hope that the pending preparatory work would be completed and the GHADC elections conducted within the extended period.