From Our Correspondent
RONGJENG (EGH), Nov 21: Residents of the Rongjeng-Darugre area under East Garo Hills have raised serious concerns over what they termed unfair land compensation, inconsistencies and unexplained changes in the land acquired for the upcoming NH-217 that passes through the town.
Following complaints from residents, a visit was made to Rongjeng on Wednesday to examine the issues troubling land losers, even as hundreds of complaints reportedly remain pending with the district administration and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), the nodal agency for highway construction nationwide.
Earlier, the same landowners had submitted joint petitions to the Deputy Commissioner and to Tura MP Saleng Sangma detailing their grievances.
The first stop was Rongjeng Deficit Higher Secondary School, which, according to the initial assessment, was to lose close to half a bigha of land. However, the latest markers reportedly show that more than a bigha of land, including a section of the higher secondary building, is now at risk of being dismantled.
“When the first land assessment was done, markers were set up in the area in front of the school and that would not have impacted any part of the buildings that are there. However, we have seen new markers (with yellow paint) that are now going to impact the building that houses the HS section,” said the headmaster.
The school’s concern extends beyond the loss of land to the inadequate compensation being offered. Initially, the school was offered a mere Rs 60,000 for close to half a bigha of prime roadside land near the heart of the Rongjeng market.
When school authorities met Revenue department officials in Williamnagar, they were allegedly told that the property already belonged to the government and their consent was unnecessary.
“We are a deficit school and the property is definitely not government-owned. While I initially signed the agreement after being frustrated, we later held a meeting with the Managing Committee where a decision was taken to reject the offer of compensation as well as withdraw my consent. This was duly done and we are not going to agree to the terms set,” the headmaster added.
Following the school visit, a shopkeeper, who has operated a small shop in front of the school for nearly a decade, claimed he was denied compensation despite his shop being among those affected.
“When I sought compensation for my shop, they actually laughed it off, asking why I would want compensation for a shop this rickety. This has been my livelihood for ages and to have someone laugh it off was really saddening,” he said.
Nearby, the Meghalaya Apex Bank branch is also reportedly at risk, with almost the entire office marked for demolition. Residents said the new markers clearly threaten the HS School building, contradicting earlier assurances by authorities.
In Upper Rongjeng, many residents said that although they were compensated for land initially marked, sudden changes in markers have created confusion.
“My land falls just beside the Rongjeng Petrol Pump and initially I have been compensated for the land I lost. However, they have set up a new concrete marker that is set to clear out 2-3 shops that I have on the land. We are really confused as to what is happening and need answers to this new mess that has been created,” said another resident.
Similar concerns were raised near the police station, where many landowners claimed that the land now being marked for the highway far exceeds what they were paid for.
“Why will we give our land for free? This is unfair and we want to ask the NHIDCL Survey team to explain what exactly is going on,” said a resident whose property lies beside the police station.
Further toward Darugre, one family said they were compensated only for the portion of land used for constructing a new bridge. However, the construction company diverted the stream’s flow, rendering other parts of their land unusable.
In the Darugre market area, two landowners expressed frustration after their long-running shops were excluded from compensation.
“I was running a meat shop and two other shops successfully but after they set up the bridge, our shop had to be shut down. The land has been compensated for but there was nothing paid for the shops which have been running long before the notification for the road was even made. Compensation for such shops has been made along most of the road, so why single us out and not provide compensation?” asked a shop owner.
Another woman who rebuilt five shops after they were destroyed in a thunderstorm said she was now being denied compensation because the structures were labelled “new”.
“I had no option but to rebuild these shops but now the compensation team is claiming that my shops are new set-ups and as such cannot be compensated. This is a double loss for me and I don’t know how to explain my situation,” she said. Remnants of the fallen tree still lie at the site.
Another Upper Rongjeng resident said he rejected the compensation offer due to a lack of clarity on how much of his land would be taken.
“I have even sought details from the office but have been rejected. I am a land loser but I have no right to know what amount I am losing! Does that really not sound ridiculous? I just want clarity but somehow it seems I am asking for too much,” he said.
A review of the joint petition raised several serious concerns.
“We fully support the development of the road and previously agreed to and signed documents for the initial GPS land markings. We are not against development. However, we are deeply saddened and feel cheated by the way the survey team has acted. The NHIDCL Rongjeng team has recently placed new GPS markings on our land. These new markings were done without our consent and in our absence, meaning we were not informed or present to verify the process,” the petition stated.
Residents alleged that the new markings encroach upon more land than they agreed to and described the situation as a “scam in the name of public development”.
“The most shocking part is that some landowners have not even received payment because their property was not included in the initial land survey for the construction of the NH-217 road. Furthermore, many landowners who were victims of land encroachment are being denied additional compensation. Shockingly, authorities claimed that the land being used for road construction had already been compensated. In reality, the landowners had only agreed to sign and receive payment for the land they showed during the original survey conducted by the team,” they said.
“Multiple complaints have been made to the Department regarding land encroachment and the lack of clarity in the GPS survey. Furthermore, there is a denial of payment for small structures, which officials are strongly claiming are only ‘temporary bamboo shops’. In reality, however, these several shops are the sole source of daily income for entire families. If these structures are damaged, relocating and starting anew will be an uphill task for the poor shop owners,” they stated.
