By PD Nongrum
It’s the 23rd of July 2023. The sky was clear and the weather was perfect for an outing. So with my family we decided to drive up to Sohra to visit some of the picturesque waterfalls. Trailing along with the long queue of vehicles we drove for about an hour and then took the diversion road that would take us to the “Dain-thlen Falls”. The poor and dilapidated condition of this road made the ride bumpy but somehow we made it to our destination. To our utter surprise, a police constable stationed at the entry point to the fall, stopped us from proceeding further and politely told us that the District Administration has prohibited the entry of person/persons (including domestic and foreign tourists) into the area. The reason being that, two Dorbar Shnongs around the “Dain-thlen” and “Wei Sawdong” area are at loggerheads, staking claim of ownership over these places. Our hearts sank. Having travelled so far and enduring the bumpy ride, we were not permitted to see the waterfalls. Can you imagine the disappointment of tourists having travelled all the way from different parts of the country and the world, to visit Meghalaya and to see these famed waterfalls being denied entry? What a shame! Is this how we promote tourism? Sadly, we had no other option but to drive back. On the way we stopped at the “Misty Hills” restaurant for lunch. The place was jammed packed with tourists and it took us awhile before we could find a table.
What I noticed at the parking lot of the restaurant were tourist taxis, SUVs, LMVs and tourist buses all bearing Assam Vehicle Registration plates. There were very few Meghalaya tourist taxis. Lunch over, it was time to drive back home. The large number of tourists visiting Sohra on any given day has to be witnessed first-hand to really appreciate the growth of tourism in our State. But once again, all along the road I noticed that nearly all the vehicles bore the Assam State Registration numbers. With my daughter driving at snail pace following the long line of vehicles I sat back relaxed and started to think. What If we were to have our own Rail Head in the outskirts of Shillong City?
Presently, domestic and international tourists with plans to visit the Khasi and Jaintia Hills either land at the Guwahati airport or disembark at the Guwahati railway station. From Guwahati they hire Assam tourist taxis to travel to Shillong and to visit the various tourist spots in and around the Khasi and Jaintia Hills
If Shillong were to have its own railhead in the outskirts of the city, I am sure our local city cabs and tourist taxis will throng the railway station to ferry passengers from there to their hotels, homestays, to Laitlum, Dawki, Sohra, Khlieh Tyrshi Thadlaskien, Nongkhnum, Lum Shillong, Mattilang Park and to many more tourist spots. Like cabbies lining up at the Railway station to ferry passengers, I can also picture trucks, pick-up vans loading up goods from the railway godowns and transporting them to the different places in the Khasi, Jaintia and Ri Bhoi Districts
Today Garo Hills already has a railhead at Mendipathar. What if we as citizen accept the offer of the Government of India to bring the railways to East Khasi Hills District? What if food grains, essential commodities, construction materials, fertilizers, cattle and poultry feed et al are brought into the State by rail? Will the farmers, traders and consumers not benefit from the cheaper cost of goods?
Presently cabbies are complaining that Assam transporters are hogging all the benefit from our tourist industry. Consumers complain to the high cost of living which can be attributed to the exceedingly high road transportation cost. Considering all these factors, will it then not be beneficial to all if we were to have our own railhead. I am sure many of us realise and understand this very well. I am simply appealing to everyone to think rationally. But what about Influx and Inner line Permits (ILP)?
Being an avid angler, since most of our rivers are devoid of large game fish, twice in a year, my friends and I would travel to Arunachal Pradesh and spend a couple of days fishing the rivers in Arunachal which are still pristine and unpolluted. But to enter Arunachal one needs to have an Inner Line Permit. So you log on to the Arunachal Pradesh government website, choose ILP application link, fill up the ILP form, pay for the permit fees online click the send button and then wait for a few days to get the ILP. On one occasion it took us nearly a week to get the permit, reason being that for 2 days in between the date we applied for the ILP, the offices in Arunachal were closed because of the official holidays. Armed with ILP, if we were to head for Pasighat, we would set off early in the morning since it takes 14 to 15 hours to reach Pasighat. On many occasions by the time we reach the Assam – Arunachal border it’s late evening and there is hardly any checking at the gates. But if you were to travel to Bomdila and Tawang the scenario is different. At the Bhalakpung border gate, the checking is very thorough. It would take around 10 minutes for each vehicle to be checked. Only after having checked the validity of our ILP are we allowed to cross over into Arunachal. Point I am trying to make here is that at some gates the authorities are slack and at another the time taken for scrutiny is pretty time consuming. So, if entry to Meghalaya is to be regulated with the ILP, the question is: Will it impede the smooth flow of traffic at the entry points to the State? Will it be a deterrent to the growth of tourism? Will it help prevent influx of illegal immigrants into our State?
A Police officer once commented that the real threat to the N.E. States is, “the over-populated plains of Bangladesh and the under-populated hills of the North East.” As stakeholders of our State we must be very vigilant and pay heed to the threats of illegal immigration from the southern borders of our State. Migrants coming to our State in search of work can be regulated by existing Labour Laws.
Now, what about the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), the Land Transfer Act the KHADC Benami transaction and Trading license Acts? Are these acts not enough to safeguard the tribals’ land, their identity, tradition and prevent demographic imbalance in the State? Perhaps we should honestly and carefully analyze these prevailing safeguards which are already in place and demand that the authorities implement them strictly and effectively.
Presently as Rangbah Shnong Jaiaw Shyiap Lumpyllon, I can say that the Executive Committee of the Dorbar Shnong has always been very strict with the scrutiny of person/persons who wish to reside in our locality. It is only after such scrutiny that the Dorbar Shnong registers them as tenants. If the MRSSA is implemented and all the Shnongs play their roles, sincerely and honestly, as guardians of the community, the Act can be an effective tool in preventing influx of illegal immigrants. The Land Transfer Act has and will continue to be the strongest tool to prevent alienation of our land. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) can also play the role of sentinels of the hills and remain ever vigilant. Violators of the Act should be brought to the notice of the Administration. Swift and stern action needs to be taken by the government against violators.
As to the Implementation of the Benami transaction and Trading license Acts, greed has got the better of us. We only have ourselves to blame for what we are now seeing around the markets and shopping places in Shillong City. Somehow in the rural markets things are much better.
In summing up, the questions we need to ask ourselves are: What if we are open to the idea of bringing the railways to Khasi, Ri Bhoi and Jaintia hills? What are the benefits we can reap from having the railhead close to the district headquarters? What about existing laws? Are they adequate to protect our land, our livelihoods, our traditions our customs? Let us all sit back and think rationally; carefully weigh the pros and cons of any project before objecting to their implementation. It is our responsibility to endeavour to create opportunities for the present and future generations and at the same time it is our duty to preserve and protect the Land and Identity of U Hynniewtrep Hynniewwasa”.
(The writer is former police officer and presently the Rangbah Shnong, Jaiaw Shyiap, Lumpyllon)