Realignment of Tetilia-Byrnihat railway line
NONGPOH: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) for the Tetilia-Byrnihat broad gauge railway project has reiterated its demand for the realignment of the proposed line to avoid displacement of the Lum Nongrim and the Ronghona villagers.
The JAC has proposed that the railway station be shifted by a kilometre from Ronghona village to an area which is not inhabited but has paddy fields and forests.
“We will not part with our lands for the proposed new BG Railway from Tetilia (Assam) to Byrnihat (Meghalaya) as our properties will be destroyed in the process,” said members of the JAC.
The proposed alignment is supposed to pass through Lum Nongrim and Ronghona villages leading to the displacement of the entire Ronghona village and parts of Lum Nongrim. The railway Station is proposed to be set up at Ronghona.
“We do not oppose the railway project but we are demanding a change in alignment of the project so as to avoid displacement of Ronghona and Lum Nongrim villagers,” JAC chairman Medhi Syiem said.
JAC representatives comprising members of the Dorbar Shnong of Lum Nongrim and Ronghona and Byrnihat Sport Association (BSA) met Ri Bhoi Deputy Commissioner Pooja Pandey on Friday last at her office in response to the notice for hearing given by the DC’s office Nongpoh to the land owners.
The JAC was represented by its chairman Medhi Syiem and secretary A Lapang, who is also the president of the BSA apart from Ronghona Rangbah Shnong, Amol Ronghang and Rangbah Shnong, Lum Nongrim J Syiem.
During the meeting, Syiem, on behalf of the affected landowners, told the DC that the project would displace the villagers of Ronghona and some residents of Lum Nongrim even as the football ground of BSA would be affected.
Syiem, however, was upset with what he termed as the Deputy Commissioner’s refusal to accept the JAC members as representatives of the affected landowners.
“She told us that the DC’s office would deal with the landowners directly,” Syiem said adding that the JAC will hold a meeting with land owners to discuss on future steps.