Editor,
Land forms an intrinsic part of every community and also of individuals within the community for whom land is an important investment in one’s lifetime. However, if we were to take a closer look into the developments in the functioning of the District Councils, in particular the KHADC and JHADC we will notice that not one MDC has ever considered to revisit the land holding system whereby community lands that have been passed over by our ancestors have been privatised and sold out to private parties. The land holding pattern in the entire Khasi and Jaintia hills varies but the ‘Ri Raid’ (Community land) ‘Ri Shnong’ (Village land) and ‘Ri Kur’ (Clan Land) continue to be the practice. The missing factor here is the loosely managed land governing system that has allowed gradual ‘bartering’, illegal selling of community land i.e. Ri Raid to certain groups and individuals. This where the Councils need to do a thorough ground research and codify the land laws and land rights of the indigenous tribals. In all of this there should be a wide public debate after which a set of governance mechanisms governing the land holding system should be adopted by the Councils and the Dorbar Shnong should be tasked to implement such laws in letter and spirit.
Without a robust land holding system that is codified is in place we will continue to see loss of more such community lands which will pass in to the hands of the land hungry tribal gentry.
Yours etc..
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar,
Via email
Is North East outside India?
Editor,
In a recent tweet, senior Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi defined the Geography of India as stretching from Kashmir to Kerala and from Gujarat to Bengal. Rahul Gandhi quite clearly forgot that there is a region beyond Bengal which includes seven states. The resultant political upheavals it has created must be mentioned here. Regardless of the political connotations such statements have serious undertones of neglect and ignorance of mainland Indians, including senior political leaders, about their own country.
When one visits any of the states outside the Northeast one finds that people have either very little or false assumptions regarding India’s Northeast and its people. While many think that Assam is still a ‘jungle’ where Rhinos roam everywhere, others live in the illusion that the tribes of Northeast are Chinese and are so uncivilized that they wear garlands of human skulls. Women from the Northeast that study and work in any of the metros are often humiliated with the slang ‘Chinki’ (Chinese).
The blame for all these misconstructions go to the successive regimes at the Centre that failed miserably in developing Northeast India and bringing it at par with the rest of India. It’s a different matter that the state governments of the seven states have indulged in rampant corruption and misgovernance and swindled off most of the development funds. The onus for improving the image of Northeast India lies both with the government and people. We must do whatever we can to improve tourism, literacy, and infrastructure of Northeast India and showcase the same to rest of India so that the Northeast literally becomes ‘The Paradise Unexplored’ to ‘Paradise Explored’ by many.
Yours etc.
Sadiq Hussain Laskar,
Guwahati
Forgotten Constitutional Values?
Editor,
Absence of religion in public affairs or organisations of society or government is what Secularism actually stands for. But secularism in the Indian context also means respecting all religions and taking all of them together equally and without partiality. Religion is important to Indians which is why secularism was beautifully given different meanings to suit the Indian context and was finally added in the Constitution of India through 42nd amendment in 1976. Now what is important is to uphold the values of the Constitution.
The anti-hijab row which is in the news these days represents nothing but a complete failure to uphold the values of secularism and religious freedom in the premises of institutions. Institutions are supposed to teach and inculcate the values of secularism for which the present tug of war has arisen. Students being divided into saffron group and hijab group represents only hatred and intolerance. It is also a big failure of that specific college in Karnataka. Upholding religious values is also an aspect of secularism. A Sikh can wear his turban, Christians can wear the cross. Nothing would or should disturb the public order or rules and regulations of any institution. India belongs to everyone. There should be no room for intolerance.
Jai Hind
Yours etc.,
Joseph Lalchhuanawma Rokhum,
Via email
Laitumkhrah: A disaster waiting to happen
Editor,
Recently Laitumkhrah Market was inaugurated and it has been a long time coming this market. It is clean and has ample space for stalls and movement of people. However, what most of us do not understand is why are vendors still being allowed to sell stuff on the pavements? The people who have rented these stalls inside the market are frustrated because these vendors are undercutting their businesses. The kind of jostling and manoeuvring one has to engage in while walking is exhausting. So why bother with the market or a pavement at all? Now that schools have reopened where do the students walk? Not to forget the constant traffic jams because the Laitumkhrah main road which used to be a two-lane road has now been reduced to a single one.
It is also amazing that a private vehicle gets clamped and pays a fine for parking but these vendors are parked all day long without so much as even a parking fee. Even a simple activity like buying a sack of rice has become complicated and requires some serious planning because of the congestion.
In spite of the many appeals made to the District Administration by Persons with Disabilities, elderly people and residents of Laitumkhrah because their mobility has been very much compromised, these appeals have fallen on deaf ears.
Laitumkhrah is a disaster waiting to happen.
Yours etc.,
Christine Tina,
Via email