Shillong, Jan 16: The Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong Ka Bri U Hynñiewtrep (SNSBH), a conglomerate of traditional heads, asked the Centre to exempt Meghalaya from the Citizenship Amendment Bill passed in the Lok Sabha recently.

In its memorandum submitted to the deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong here on Wednesday, the Synjuk said, “…(We) vehemently appeal the Union government through the state government to reconsider our request and exempt possibly the entire North East in general and Meghalaya in particular from the purview of the CAB.”

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, SNSBH president Dr Werlok Kharshiing said the Synjuk has expressed its strong opposition against the passing of the Bill in the Lok Sabha without considering the sentiments of the people of the region.

He said the Synjuk along with the Meghalaya Indigenous Tribal Constitutional Rights Movement (MITCRM) had aired their protest before the Joint Parliamentary Committee when its members visited the state on May 10, last year.

He said, the state government was also urged to take up with the Centre the proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which is still pending till date.

The issue related to the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) was also raised during the meeting.

The deputy CM informed the delegation that the matter would soon be decided by the Cabinet to denotify a 1989 notification which allowed the operation of building byelaws in schedule areas.

The Deputy Chief Minister also assured to convene a meeting to discuss on the implementation of the scheme ‘my village my development plan’ of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

“We have sought clarification since we were told that the implementation of the scheme will not be through the headmen,” the general secretary said.