Furore Over Draft Delimitation Proposal

The people of the state has shown mixed reactions to the task of re-adjustment of territorial constituencies on the basis of census figures, without affecting the total number of seats allocated to each state in the Lok Sabha and the legislative assembly headed by Justice (Retd.) Kuldeep Singh. The delimitation proposal has been welcomed by some quarters and has been criticized by others and has given a spate of Bandhs in these recent days demanding status quo on earlier allocation of Assembly Constituencies.

The people of Ziro-Hapoli were also not left unaffected with the delimitation proposal. The publication of a joint signed letter of Chairman Delimitation Committees of respective constituencies of Lower Subansiri and the Associate Members of Delimitation Commission, Arunachal Pradesh to Delimitation Commission of India, in a local daily The Arunachal Times on 9^th of July 2007, seeking status quo to be maintained for 17^th Ziro-Hapoli constituency has created quite a stir in the Apatani Plateau. (Letter produced below)

The Delimitation Commission of India in its draft proposal published on 9^th July, had proposed 2 constituencies for Ziro-Hapoli, viz., 17^th Ziro (ST) Constituency and 18^th Hapoli (ST) constituency, which was the dream of people for quite long and had struggled hard for it. And when they started thinking that now there would be 2 representatives in the state assembly from Apatani Plateau, they got a hard slap on their face with this representation where the Chairman of the Delimitation Committee had sought for maintaining status quo, stating that the "total radius coverage of 17^th Ziro-Hapoli Constituency is only 7 km by 3 km and it’s a fully compact plain area", thereby not requiring another constituency. This has led to doubt the integrity of the Chairman of Delimitation Committee and MLA from 17^th Ziro-Hapoli constituency, Nani Ribia, towards the welfare of the community, thereby summoning him for public explanation for his move on 15^th of July.

Quite categorically, he denied his involvement in this entire episode and said that his signature was forged to mislead Commission.

“Denying that he had signed the 30^th June memorandum submitted to the Delimitation Commission pleading to treat all earlier representations withdrawn, Ziro Hapoli Delimitation Committee Chairman and MLA Nani Ribia today claimed that his signature was forged.

Drawing the attention of the Commission in a letter today, Ribia also termed the claim of a meeting attended by local MLA, panchayat leaders, educated youth, village elders and workers of various parties of the district regarding the delimitation process as published in the local dailies on July nine last as misleading and fabricated.

Pointing out that there was an attempt to mislead the general public and the Commission through sub-mission of wrong reports, he called upon one and all not to be misled as he had submitted a representation clarifying that June 30 report was wrong and welcoming the 22^nd June draft publication relating to Ziro and Hapoli Assembly constituencies (AC).

An FIR has been lodged with the police to investigate into the forgery, he said in a signed statement.”

-The Arunachal Times

For now, there is no other option, but to believe him and wait to see if indeed he has sent his representation so as to reach Delimitation Commission of India before 23^rd and to wait for August 1^st, where there would be public hearing of delimitation proposal at Siddartha Hall, Itanagar.

The entire episode has left me puzzled as to how they went about measuring Hapoli-Ziro Township and areas under this assembly constituency and came to conclusion that entire area is only 7x3 km?