One of the characteristics of a tribal community is that natural resources are community owned. They include forests, rivers, water sources and land. How the tribals of Meghalaya have rapidly lost control of these resources and how such resources are now private property is perhaps a colonial left-over. It was the British that turned land into a purchasable commodity, in the places they chose to settle in namely Sohra and Shillong. The tribes relied heavily on the institutions of the Syiemship to look after their well-being which included the allocation of community land for each family to live and farm on. In the past community land (ri raij) was distributed to respective clans by the Syiems in Council. The clan heads (dorbar kur) in turn distributed land to their clan members. If the land was not used productively for three years it reverted to the community. This prevented land from being unduly appropriated. It was an equitable practice and ensured that every member of the clan that needs to branch out from the natal family after marriage was allotted space for a new home.
With time however, land became a prime asset. Those well-endowed financially used land as a stock in trade. They invested in land and sold it like they sell stocks and profited from this transaction. The history of how land is privatised is a subject of much research and land reforms committees had been formed; studies conducted and recommendations made to prevent elite capture of community land but such recommendations only gathered dust. Today a small section of tribal elite are exercising control over large stretches of forest lands that were hitherto community forests over which the community had access to non-timber forest products such as edible leaves, roots, nuts, seeds etc. Large swathes of such forests are being cleared to make way for stone quarries. It is ironic that both state and community institutions including the district councils empowered by the 6th Schedule to be the custodian of community resources have not been able to prevent this rapid exploitation of natural resources to the point that even catchments are not spared, leading to drying up of natural reservoirs that are sources of drinking water for the community.
What is happening in Meghalaya today is reminiscent of Garrett Hardin’s article dating back to 1968, “Tragedy of the Commons,” which speaks of over-exploitation of natural resources by the few at the cost of the environment and by depriving others of what is a shared resource. One wealthy individual buying large tracts of agricultural land in rural Meghalaya is depriving several small rural farmers from earning a livelihood. Another wealthy, political elite acquiring forest land for a stone quarry or for coal mining is affecting the environment. There is air pollution; water pollution and other intangible impacts. And all this is done without an eco-restoration plan. The community relied on traditional institutions. These institutions have failed the people. State institutions too have failed to conserve the environment. In fact, they have allowed unregulated extraction without assessing the cost to the environment! This over-exploitation has to stop. It’s time for people to raise their collective voices.