JOWAI: The Meghalaya Institute of Governance (MIG) conducted a public hearing on the integrated facilitation centre on exit & entry point in Khanduli, West Jaintia Hills, on Saturday last as part of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Study under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
The public hearing was chaired by Aiban Swer, OSD, Meghalaya Institute of Governance, in the presence of Addl. Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) D. Wahlang, along with the members of the village authority. There were more than 100 participants from the village.
The preliminary report was read by the SIA team after which discussions were taken up on the subject matter.
Various issues were brought up by the villagers present there who stated that an exit and entry point was necessary to guard against certain problems like encroachment by Assam into Meghalaya, presence of the looming threat brought about by an Assam police outpost situated within the village itself.
A villager, C. Nongrum, said there was a need to regulate the free flow of labourers who enter the State from this road. Another resident, Endro Kharkongor, however said as agricultural land of the people mostly lie in Assam the people might face economic losses if there is too much restriction on their movement through the entry and exit point.
Villagers expressed fears that the exit and entry point would entail that the locals would have to pay a fee to utilize the point.
The additional deputy commissioner explained that the exit point would be on the left while the entry point would be on the right side of the road. He further added that it was not a check gate but in fact a facilitation centre that would make travel by people and the flow of goods and services easier.
He told the gathering that the State government would take up the administrative issues in relation to the agricultural activity taken by the locals especially the threats from militant groups.
After the submission of the final report, an expert group would be constituted by the Revenue department to analyze the social impact as well as the mitigation measures. Two members from the VEC comprising one male and one female would be appointed to this expert group.
The meeting concluded with all the villagers giving their consent to the setting up of the proposed entry and exit point.
