The FKJGP has called upon the JHADC to
withhold the NOC required by the NFR to proceed with the railway project. They argued that railway connectivity could do more harm than good
without a comprehensive system to control
and monitor migration, such as ILP
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 22: The longstanding opposition to railway expansion in Meghalaya has intensified again with the West Jaintia Hills district unit of the Federation of Khasi Jaintia Garo People (FKJGP) firmly warning the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) against bringing a track to the Jaintia Hills.
The federation also asked the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) not to issue any no-objection certificate to the NFR.
The FKJGP said that there will be no railway until a robust mechanism to curb the influx of outsiders is firmly in place.
Tension arose after reports emerged that the NFR initiated a survey in areas such as Bhoksong, Rajagaon, Baithalangso, Jengkha, and Kherani-Umrangso to connect these regions to Jowai through a proposed railway line.
The FKJGP raised strong objections, insisting that any infrastructural development of this scale must not proceed without clear safeguards against unchecked immigration.
The FKJGP went a step further by calling upon the JHADC to withhold the NOC required by the NFR to proceed with the railway project. They argued that railway connectivity could do more harm than good without a comprehensive system to control and monitor migration, such as the Inner Line Permit (ILP) — a demand long echoed by various groups in Meghalaya.
This opposition is not new. The Khasi and Jaintia communities, deeply rooted in their cultural heritage and unique matrilineal society, have long viewed railway expansion with suspicion. It is feared that improved connectivity might open the floodgates to an influx of non-tribal settlers.
The region’s leaders have consistently stressed that such an influx could dilute indigenous identities, threaten local livelihoods, and destabilise the fragile demographic balance of the state.
The heart of the resistance lies in the fear of demographic shifts. The Khasi-Jaintia people, like many other indigenous communities in the Northeast, have witnessed how unregulated migration in neighbouring states has altered social and political landscapes. The influx of outsiders is seen not just as an economic threat but as an existential one—a risk to language, traditions, and land ownership patterns, which are intricately linked to the region’s customary laws.
The FKJGP said the railway line is not merely a matter of development but also the survival of Indigenous communities.
Unless the state government implements a foolproof mechanism to protect the indigenous population from being overwhelmed by outsiders, the FKJGP and the Khasi Students’ Union have vowed to resist any move to push the railway project forward.