NONGSTOIN: On June 28, the Hima Nongstoin Land Owner Coal Trader & Producer Association (HNLOCTPA) held a meeting to discuss problems faced by the indigenous people of the State.
The meeting was held at Mawkhlam Nongpyndeng community hall and was chaired by Srally Rashir, president of the Association where hundreds of them attended the meeting.
The meeting discussed about violations of the rights of the indigenous people, which is like a threat to the indigenous populace of the State especially the customary practices prevailing within in the State as a whole where no one seems concerned about safe-guarding the lands and lives of the indigenous people of Meghalaya.
Most of the speakers in the meeting stress about the violating of the 6th schedule of the Constitution by snatching the land and the rights of the indigenous people without their consent.
They also remind that in 1996 the Honorable Supreme Court banned the cutting of timber in 2013, the NGT banned mining of sand and stone from the rivers and now in 2014, the NGT ban on rat- hole mining and will make 75% of the population of the district penniless. They also said that the indigenous people of Meghalaya should know that this is a sign that the rights of the indigenous people has been taken away.
The Association also slammed the Government for not appealing to the court in relation to the ban of sand and stone mining, which proved that the government has no concern about safe guarding the rights of the indigenous people of the State.
The Association took a decision to form a special committee to work out the strategy for the indigenous people.