SHILLONG, May 10 (NNN): The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Monday demanded the state government of Meghalaya to nullify the appointment of a retired judge as the chairman of the Meghalaya Gaming Commission.
After a meeting with the deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong, HYC general secretary Roykupar Synrem said, “We demanded the government that the appointment of the chairman of the Gaming Commission should be nullified as the decision taken by the Taxation department on this regard is illegal.”
He alleged that the Taxation department had failed to follow what has been written in the Act. There was supposed to be a search committee and accordingly the names shortlisted for the appointment of the chairman should be placed before the cabinet for its approval.
“Moreover, the Taxation department had also failed to take into consideration the recent statement made by the chief minister that the government is yet to implement the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021,” Synrem added.
The state government had appointed retired Judge of Allahabad High Court, Justice Naveen Srivastava as chairman of the Meghalaya Gaming Commission, which will regulate the gambling activities in the state.
Meanwhile, the HYC has also extended full support to the demand made by the religious groups for repealing the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and its Rules, 2021.
“We feel as a state, we should respect the sentiments and beliefs of these religious groups. Therefore, we have submitted a memorandum to the government expressing that we don’t want our state to be known as a gambling state in India and as it is we already have gambling activities like teer and lottery so we don’t want this Act to add some more gambling activities in the state,” Synrem said.
The HYC leader informed that the deputy chief minister had assured the delegation that the government will hold consultations with the stakeholders before taking a final decision on the matter.
Stating that the Gaming Act is affecting the religious beliefs of the people of Meghalaya, Synrem also warned, “If the government goes ahead with implementing this Act, we will discuss with the religious institutions and groups and take a collective decision on this.”
He further informed that the Act clearly stated that a player is said to be anybody who has attained the age of 18 years. “How can you then say that only an outsider will be allowed to play and how can you say in which place these kinds of casinos will be located,” he said.
When asked, the HYC general secretary said the government should not only bring only these kinds of laws and policies to generate revenue for the state.
