The Council’s Lailad Beat allegedly destroys a variety of crops and plants
without prior notice or consultation
From Our Correspondent
NONGPOH, Aug 4: Residents of Umladoh, a village in Nongpoh, Ri-Bhoi, expressed anguish following the allegedly aggressive action of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council’s (KHADC) Lailad Beat, which devastated their crops and plantations.
The villagers allege that the KHADC’s Lailad Beat acted without prior notice or consultation, arbitrarily destroying a variety of crops and plants, including bamboo, betel nut trees, oranges, and others. This unannounced destruction has caused significant grief, particularly affecting five families who rely on farming for their livelihood.
The affected families belong to Prin Umsong, Brina Sylliang, Slis Lyngdoh, Ormilis Lapang, and Phiarnes Sylliang, who have expressed their profound sadness and distress, emphasising that their hard-earned crops, cultivated over many years, were abruptly destroyed by government authorities without any warning.
Headman of Umladoh village Wet Syngkli highlighted the severe impact on the villagers, particularly the daily wage-earning families who live hand to mouth.
“The Umladoh village council strongly condemns this aggressive and oppressive behaviour by the authorities. This is akin to trampling on the rights of poor farming families. We demand that the authorities review this unjust action by the district council and provide fair compensation to the affected families,” Syngkli stated.
Syngkli also revealed that on August 1, the Forest department officials had informed the villagers to remove their plantations from areas under the department’s jurisdiction. However, just two days later, on August 3, the officials returned with machinery and forcibly cut down the villagers’ crops, without giving them any grace period.
The villagers, particularly the women who spoke to the media on Sunday, are calling for justice and compensation for their losses. They lament the loss of their livelihoods and the oppressive actions that have left them heartbroken and struggling to sustain their households.
