NONGPOH: The Khasi Students Union, Northern Border Area has urged the state government to impose free or minimum land registration fees for inter-state villages bordering Assam in an effort to prevent land encroachment.
“We have knowledge that the neighbouring Assam government is offering free registration of land to the residents of the border villages of the state. This move will certainly help them (Assam Government) to easily encroach our land,” KSU NBA President Alex Narleng said.
“We urge the state government to initiate similar steps and consider imposing free or minimum registration fees for our people residing in border areas as most of them are from poor backgrounds and cannot afford to register their land in the Revenue Department of the state due to the high cost of registration fees,” Narleng added.
The meeting which was attended by the village leaders of Them Marwet area and KSU NKHD General Secretary Lambok Rymbai on October 22 at Baridua Community Hall also discussed several border issues including the step-motherly attitude of the state government towards the villages in border areas in terms of developmental works.
“The Assam government from time to time offers several development schemes and projects to our border villages which most of the village leaders politely refuse.”
“We also want the state government to do the same and concentrate more on developing the border areas, so that our people do not have to feel neglected and confused,” one of the village leaders stated during a meeting.
The village leaders also expressed their concern over lack of proper drinking water, road connectivity, electricity, health institutions and other developmental works in border villages falling from Jorabat-Khanapara-Beltola while urging the state government to address the issues.
