SHILLONG, Jan 21: The KSU members on Tuesday distributed pamphlets across the city urging the public to oppose the implementation of the Meghalaya State Investment Promotion & Facilitation Act, 2024 and the amendment made to acquire land banks thereof.
The KSU said the Act is a draconian and tyrannical law which envisage all the powers to a handful of men in power (in particular the ministers/politicians) disregarding the views, proposition and mandate of the people of the state.
The Union finds it inconceivable that such a dictatorial law is passed in the State Assembly without any debate, dialogue or thorough discussion.
The union reiterated that changing the name from Invest Meghalaya Agency (IMA) to Meghalaya Investment Promotion Authority (MIPA) in its Cabinet decision on January 15, does not count for anything since the ambiguous and treacherous provisions in the Act still prevails.
According to the KSU, deletion of Section 34 of the Act and including the Autonomous District Councils in the Act is not enough to guarantee that the tribal lands are not alienated and traded to foreign entity until major changes and amendments are brought forward in the Act.
KSU general secretary Donald V Thabah said the union would also like to highlight that since the government has been acquiring land for different purposes with the existing laws such the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 or known as Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 and other laws of the Autonomous District Councils, the need for a new law for acquiring land is without reason or rhyme.
“Therefore, with all these lacunae in the Act, the Union rejects the implementation of the Meghalaya State Investment Promotion & Facilitation Act, 2024 since it is devoid of merit, is ambiguous and is against the indigenous tribals of the state,” he said.
“Since the amendment of the Act for creation of land banks is yet to be made available in public domain, the union would want to make it clear that the government should discard such proposals of creation of land banks and focus its efforts on making the Act transparent and fair and in favour for the indigenous people of Meghalaya because with the present Act, it seems that the government has a malicious intention to acquire land,” Thabah said.
“We would like to give a brief analysis of certain provisions of the MSIPF Act which is authoritarian and overbearing which made the Union believe that this Act is a draconian law which is enacted not for the benefit of the indigenous tribal population but only for certain segment of the society,” he said.
According to Thabah, Section 39 of the Act states that, “No suit or legal proceedings shall lie against the Chairman or other members of the Governing Council or High-Powered Committee or State Investment Committee or District Investment Committee or Nodal Agency or any employees of such committee in respect of anything which is done or intended to be done in good faith under this Act or any Rule made there under.”
He said that the very fact that politicians, bureaucrats and other members of different committees are being given impunity from the “Rule of Law” depicts that there are malicious intentions by the law-makers to determine the benefits for themselves without being subjected to any legal complications or judicial scrutiny.
Referring to Section 5(3) of the Act, he said that the Act states that, “The Authority may engage such experts, consultants, advisors, or technology professionals, as may be required for efficient discharge of its powers and functions under this Act.”
The KSU general secretary observed that the numbers of advisers, consultants and consultancy agencies has risen drastically over a couple of years which in most of the cases they are just a waste of public money.
