Jowai: The Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO), Jaiñtia Hills District, on Monday went down to 8 Mile to erase the name Garampani and put up the word Saphai on the signboard of the NHAI situated on the road of Saphai which goes up to Assam.
HITO had to do this because the authorities had not changed the name on the signboard as per notification dated Shillong the 14th of March, 2017 received from the Government of Meghalaya, General Administration Department (B) on which was clearly mentioned that Garampani will now be Saphai. On this day, the President of HITO, Jaiñtia Hills, Lawyerson War who is also the Assistant Secretary of the Central Body led the task to erase the name on the signboard and said, ” The reason for erasing the name on the signboard is because the department incharge has not done anything to correct the name, therefore the organisation which looks towards the future and to preserve the mother tongue hads come forward to do the needful. As a minority community,if we are not vigilant about such matters then without a doubt our mother tongue will be led to extinction at the hands of the majority power and recently the news about making Hindi a compulsory subject is a challenge to the Hynñiewtrep community”.
Therefore, the organisation urges the Central Government to include the Khasi Language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution so that the Khasi language may be strengthened and can be used anywhere in India. Finally, HITO will always stand on the principle to watch out and erase the non-local names of villages on signboards within the territory of the land of the Hynñiewtrep, said Lawyerson.
