The contentious land issue in Garo Hills threatens to blow up big time. This is an issue that is affecting other parts of Meghalaya too. The growing need for land due to road and urban expansion, mining and a plethora of development projects also means that land acquisition is a continuous process. Land is a finite entity. Populations grow but land does not and in the latest case the Government has ostensibly given out land pattas to people in West Garo Hills even while the matter is sub-judice. The very fact that there is currently a growing landlessness among the tribal communities in Meghalaya, more particularly the Khasi Hills suggests that land distribution by those vested with the authority to do so namely the Syiems, Dorbar Raid, Dorbar Shnong the Nokmas etc., has not proceeded along equitable lines. While forest lands have been cleared for quarrying and mining without any thought for the future, not much thought has gone into giving out land for the landless indigenous community of Meghalaya and they are a growing number.
While people want development there is also the fear of ancestral lands being taken away without proper consultation or compensation. Indeed, during land acquisition the negotiations happen at the level of the traditional heads and not with individual land-owners who actually have very little say in the matter. So the question of fair compensation for land is also a subject of discord.Since there is no single system or compulsion for land registration there is also concern that without clear title deeds communities can become vulnerable to illegal transfers or encroachments. In places like Ri Bhoi for instance, land is often sold twice over. In light of these controversies there is now a genuine need for land registration. This will also bring to light the number of people owning land; how much land and the number of landless tribals in Meghalaya. A time has come for a public debate on the need for a land ceiling act. It cannot be that the rich and powerful take over swathes of land for commercial purposes, largely for quarrying and mining at the cost of the destruction and pollution of water sources.
Land is also not merely an economic asset. It is linked to identity, governance, traditional rights and development. The challenge is not merely about land ownership but about the intersection between customary practices and modern administrative systems. Much of the land in Meghalaya falls under customary or community ownership. But the word “community” is fraught. Who in the community actually controls the transactional part? The community is hardly consulted. It is the traditional heads who take decisions in the name of the community. This too needs to change into a transparent process where collective decision making is followed. It’s ironic that the Sixth Schedule whose sole intent is to protect tribal land in Meghalaya does not seem to have much say in land deals between individuals other than registering such land. Translating these protections into clear land policies has been difficult. Traditional leaders, district councils and the state government often operate under overlapping jurisdictions, making land administration complicated. It’s time to come up with legislation to streamline land ownership.
