New Shillong Township issue
SHILLONG: The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report related to the land deal documents by which MUDA procured several stretches of land at New Shillong Township, has revealed that some of them were forged.
Some of the original land deal documents related to the purchase of 2372 acres of land at New Shillong Township, were tampered with, an official source said on Tuesday.
Informing this, a senior police official said, “We have received the FSL report and this reveals that some of the original land documents were tampered with. However; it is too early to arrive at the conclusion as there are still many other sets of documents which are yet to be analyzed”.
The plot of land which was marked as ‘Plot 2’ was acquired by the State Government in 2003 and 2007 and it covers areas including Umsawli, Mawtari and Mawlong village. The same were sold off to Government by one Unikey Kharkongor and Nearly Kharkongor by allegedly forging land documents.
The CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing, who was arrested by police recently for preventing the eviction drive at Umsawli, said the land documents of the duo were not only forged and incomplete. She also pointed out several discrepancies.
“The non-judicial stamp paper was purchased on June 5, 1992 while the deed of declaration, identified and witnessed by SP Mahanta, who is the present MUDA legal counsel and the then Additional Advocate General of Meghalaya, was signed on June 4, 1992,” she said adding that it was signed by a First Class Judicial Magistrate.
“An area of 2372 acres will definitely cover many villages and the affected will definitely fight for their rights,” Kharshiing said adding that they have also found out that survey was not done by the Meghalaya survey officials.
After MUDA conducted an eviction drive at Umsawli area, it was objected by the residents of that area and they also rejected the relocation proposal of the urban affairs department.
Kharshiing stated that even though the Chief Minister and Secretary MUDA were informed in June, 2012, and the Deputy Commissioner in April, 2013 about the alleged forgery, no action was taken.
And moreover, an FIR was also filed against the forgery, but in vain which led to the destruction of homes of the rightful owners, at Umsawli, Mawtari Mawlong, on two occasions (30.6.2012 and 8.11.2013, and this also led to detention of Kharshiing on November 8, 2013.)
“I was right in stopping the destruction of homes of these families. This also points to a fact that the Government (MUDA) went to the High Court in 2010 despite the allegations. It is also strange that SP Mahanta being the MUDA legal Counsel appeared and moved the bail applications of Unikey and Nearly when MUDA had been cheated by these two”, Kharshiing said.
She also wondered as to how Mahanta identified and verified land documents which were not in order.