SHILLONG, May 09: The Hynñiewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has demanded the Government to revoke the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act,2021 as well as the Gaming Commission for which the Chairperson appointed is a retired Justice of the Allahabad High Court.
Today the HYC met with Prestone Tynsong, Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya after the Government passed the act known as Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act,2021 with the intention of making the State a gambling destination.
The General Secretary of the HYC, Roy Kupar Synrem said that the organisation supports the group of Church leaders in opposing this intention, because it does not want the State to be counted as a gambling destination since from gambling many other evils will also emerge which may affect society.
He said that the organisation has demanded that the Government revoke the act at once, and informed that the Deputy Chief Minister has stated that the Government will meet to discuss the matter and take a decision on it in the coming days.
The leader of the HYC informed that the Government informed that the Government has also already appointed a retired Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Retired Justice Navin Srivastava as the Chairperson for the Gaming Commission and this was done only through the knowledge of the Taxation Department,which he expressed as unacceptable because the Government has itself already violated the conditions of the said act.
He said that as per the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act and Rules, this Commission will be a permanent commission, and it is surprising that the condition of the said act has been violated because this was done only by the Taxation Department without the knowledge of the Cabinet Ministers.
On being queried about the claim made by the Government that this gaming act has been brought in order to generate revenue, Synrem said that gambling is not the only means to generate revenue, or that only for the sake of revenue the State should turn to immoral activities, while adding that the Government must lessen unnecessary spending, and if it wants the State to have enough funds then it should reduce wastage of funds by doing away with appointments of Chairman and Co-Chairman, and must strike hard at corruption, and to stop leakage of revenue from different departments.
