Govt not to interfere: Laloo

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG: The State Government is unlikely to interfere into controversial agreement entered by the suspended Syiem (Chief) Peter Roger Syiemiong with the Government of Assam to allow Assam to construct a 10-km road on the land of Hima Nongspung.

Indicating this here on Tuesday, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Prof RC Laloo said, “We are happy the way the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) is handling the issue.”

The minister, however, refused to give a direct reply when asked if the KHADC had done the right thing by suspending the Syiem of Hima Nongspung PR Syiemiong.

The Hima Nongspung Executive Committee recently decided to scrap the deal which was signed by the former Syiem of the Hima and Assam Minister Siddique Ahmed. West Guwahati legislator Hemanta Talukdar was also present on the occasion.

When contacted, the acting Syiem of Hima Nongspung Medrick Rani informed that the decision to scrap the agreement was taken in the Executive Committee meeting held on January 17.

“We would soon meet the Minister of Assam Government who had signed this agreement,” Rani said.

“We fear that if we allow the Assam Government to construct this road, one day Assam may claim the ownership over the land,” the Acting Syiem of Hima Nongspung said.

Earlier, the KHADC Executive Committee had suspended Syiemiong for signing an agreement.

In fact, the Assam Government is proposing to construct a road from Ranibari-Akhonigira-Newbalakhona-old Banakhola upto Bernangsai while another road would be constructed from Ranibari to Bilpara-Patgang .

The KHADC had also constituted a committee headed by KHADC legal counsel S Kharsyiemlieh to conduct an inquiry into the issue. The Committee has been given three months’ time to submit its report.