By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Government seems to have landed up in yet another controversy over its proposed plan to acquire land measuring more than 72 lakh square metres at Mawpdang area for the establishment of the New Shillong Township.
Opposing the proposed plan of the government, the KSU, FKJGP and CSWO (Agnes) along with the land owners of the area issued a warning to the government on Monday against acquiring of the ‘Raid land’. The organizations alleged that the government intended to acquire the community or Raid land which is not a private property.
It may be mentioned that the government, through the Revenue and Disaster Management department had issued two notifications proposing to acquire more than 72 lakh Sq.m of land for the proposed Township.
The notifications published by the government on December 22, 2012 and January 10, 2013 stated that plots measuring around 62,84153.05 square metres at Umsohlang-Umtung, Nongkharai-Synrem and Jongksih and 9,65173.23 square metres at Wah-Skheh, all under Mawpdang can be utilized for the establishment of the New Shillong Township.
Expressing stiff opposition to the proposed move on the part of the government, KSU Mawryngkneng circle president, Wallambok Kharsati told reporters that the land had been in the possession of the Raid since British times.
“Even the British spared Raid land as it belonged to community. But the State Government was trying to acquire the people’s land for its own benefit without thinking of the future generations,” Kharsati added.
The NGOs and the land owners also alleged that some agents and middle men frequented the area to influence the headmen and the villagers to sell their land.
The landowners and the NGOs also demanded the DC to file an FIR against two persons – Unikey Kharkongor and Nearly Kharkongor- for allegedly selling the land of the villagers to the government for the Township project by forging documents.
Airing their grievances, the land owners alleged that they were evicted by the government from their own land despite their land deeds being declared way back in 1983.
CSWO president, Agnes Kharshiing said that the government had acquired land from Unikey Kharkongor and Nearly Kharkongor in 2003 and 2007 and the documents provided to the DC (Revenue) were incomplete.
“The land that they have claimed as theirs is in Mawier village and measures only 600 acres. In addition to their claims, there are other people too who have land at Mawier village. However Unikey Kharkongor and Nearly Kharkongor have declared that they own 2,372 acres of land. Through RTI, we got access to the land documents which seemed to have been forged and incomplete,” Kharshiing said.
“The land documents of these two persons also showed that the non judicial stamp paper was purchased on June 5, 1992 while the deed of declaration was signed on June 4, 1992 which was identified and witnessed by a lawyer and signed by a first class magistrate”, the CSWO president added.
As per documents available, Unikey Kharkongor went to the Syiem of Hima Mylliem on June 18, 1992 requesting the Syiem to measure their land at Mawier even as the land deed was declared in advance.
“This clearly shows that the land documents were incomplete as the land deed was declared without knowing the size of the land,” Kharshiing alleged.
“Interestingly, the government purchased the land measuring over 200 acres at the cost of Rs 4.50 crore without proper verification,” the CSWO observed.
Meanwhile, the NGOs also said that they would urge the High Court to take up a suo-motu case on the matter.