By Our Reporter
Shillong: The Hima Nongspung has lost around eight square kilometers of land under tea plantation to Assam, which had been given on lease to a British citizen in 1902.
The land which originally belongs to Hima Nongspung is now claimed by Assam as the Hima had failed to follow up on the lease agreement with the Britisher during British rule in India.
The land under question is located along the inter-state border including those areas along Membosti and Patgoan, currently in Assam.
Former secretary of the Hima, Michael Warjri, while speaking to reporters who visited the area on Wednesday, informed that the Hima in 1902 had given the land on lease to a Britisher by the name of Armstrong who had came to Khasi Hills to start tea plantation.
“As per the records available with us, the Hima had given the land on lease to Armstrong to carry out tea plantation for his entire lifetime. However, the Britisher handed over the land to a company from Kolkata without the knowledge of the Hima,” Warjri said, while adding that if the Hima had closely followed up on the lease agreement the land would not have been lost to Assam. He also informed that family members of Armstrong’s son, who was married to a local Khasi woman, are still residing in the same place. All of his grandchildren have Khasi titles, Warjri informed.
He informed that a market in the area had been named as ‘Membosti’ in memory of Armstrong’s wife who was cremated at the place where the market is presently located.
During their visit to the area, the reporters inspected the land under tea plantation which is currently under Assam ‘occupation’.
