By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 24: The state government continues to be under pressure following the amendment to the Meghalaya State Investment Promotion Facilitation Act (MSIPFA), 2024.
BJP spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang hoped this is not another camouflage of transferring property rights to people who are not indigenous.
Stating that the Land Transfer Act will have to be amended for the enactment of the MSIPFA, 2024 to come into force, Kharkrang said Meghalaya has been able to hold on to tribal lands because of the Land Transfer Act.
“If it was not for this Act, most of our lands would have been taken away. I hope this (MSIPFA amendment) is not another camouflage of transferring the rights of property to people who are not indigenous,” Kharkrang said.
He advised the state government to tread cautiously as future generations will regret if a wrong decision is taken today.
The VPP had recently expressed its opposition to the government’s move to empower the Investment Meghalaya Agency to acquire land for the purpose of allotment to investors in the name of promoting ease of doing business.
VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh said, “Land is one of the most crucial assets for tribal identity and livelihood. The government cannot hide in the name of development and promotion of ease for doing business. This sounds like giving legitimacy for land-grabbing by certain business interests.”
Earlier, VPP chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit had claimed that government agents are buying lands from the Raid to ultimately sell those off to the government at exorbitant prices. The government will then allot the land to private investors under the MSIPFA, 2024, he further claimed.
Basaiawmoit noted that private investors from outside cannot buy Raid land due to the Land Transfer Act. He warned the government stating that the policy is dangerous as it might lead to the depletion of Raid land in 10 to 15 years.
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council also passed a resolution asking the state government to seek the views of stakeholders before the implementation of the MSIPFA, 2024.
The Khasi Students’ Union and other pressure groups have already demanded that the state government revoke the amendment to the MSIPFA, 2024.