The VPP-led Executive Committee of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has suffered a setback after the Governor returned the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (Regulation and Administration of Land) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, with observations.
Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of District Council Affairs Prestone Tynsong confirmed on Thursday that the government had returned the legislation following the Governor’s observations.
“From the government side, from the Governor, we have already returned it with observations,” Tynsong told reporters. He advised those seeking details on the observations and the next steps to approach the KHADC.
The Bill, passed by the KHADC during its Summer Session, seeks to delete Section 16 of the principal Act. That section makes it mandatory for the Executive Committee to consult traditional institutions-including the Dorbar Shnong, Dorbar Raid and Dorbar Hima- before implementing land ceiling measures or dealing with the settlement and allotment of Raid land.
Traditional institutions had strongly opposed the proposed deletion, arguing that it would dilute their role in decisions concerning land. The legislation had also drawn criticism from the ruling NPP, even as the VPP-led Executive Committee pushed the amendment through the Council.
The Governor’s decision to return the Bill with observations now places the VPP-led Executive Committee under pressure to address the concerns raised before the legislation can proceed.