By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: A meeting of professors, research scholars, pastors, student leaders, sordars was held at the Science Seminar Hall, NEHU to threadbare discuss the land and livelihood issue of the indigenous peoples of Meghalaya in relation to LARR Bill, 2011, Approach Paper of 12th Five Year Plan (pertaining to land) and the Single Window Agency, Govt. of Meghalaya.
Speakers included Rev. Dr. O.L. Snaitang, Trueman Rngaid, S. Kharakor, Edelbert Nongrum MDC, Edward Kurbah, Bynrap Mukhim and many others. Rev. Dr. P.B.M. Basaiawmoit presided over the meeting.
Many suggestions were brought forward on how to take forward the issues placed which are a life and death matters for the indigenous peoples of Meghalaya and other related matters like Meghalaya Industrial Policy, 1997, Mining Policy, etc. Dr. Snaitang cautioned by giving examples of other indigenous groups in India that “we could either be heading toward being human without rights or having rights without being human.”
It was unanimously felt that a regular body should be formed to carry out the task laid before and that another meeting be convened for the purpose of going indepth into the matters at hand and to constitute such a body.