Resubelpara, March 16: TMC’s Rongrong MDC Rinaldo K Sangma urged the deputy commissioner of North Garo Hills to stop the registration of land in the name of a Jaipur-based Ghanshyam Bhora Charitable Foundation in New Kantolguri, Resubelpara.
The MDC in his complaint to the deputy commissioner stated that the organisation wants to register a mammoth 455 bighas of tribal community land without adhering to requisite norms and laws.
Moreover, the NOC they acquired for the transaction was fraudulently obtained from the NPP CEM, raising legal and ethical concerns, he wrote in the complaint.
“As a local MDC, the entire NOC process is questionable without my knowledge”, he said.
‘Our task is to uphold the rights and privileges of our constituents and the Garo community. The organization has not considered intimating or approaching the local representative while discussing the matter,” he added.
The AITC leader felt that acquiring such a vast tract of land under questionable circumstances posed significant risks of potential alienation for exploitation of resources, displacement of children in the future and violation of established land laws under the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act.
Moreover, as per reports and documents, the process by which the NOC was granted lacks transparency and has bypassed certain mandatory norms, and regulations and must be thoroughly investigated before any further action is taken, he asserted.
“While in Khasi Hills, there is strong opposition to the Meghalaya Industrial and Investment Promotion Scheme (MIIPS) for undermining traditional land protection laws, in Garo Hills, mass tracts of land are being handed over without proper scrutiny often to organisations from outside the state, raising concerns about exploitation and potential loss of tribal land rights of the people of Garo Hills by vested individuals,” the Rongrong MDC felt.
The MDC urged the deputy commissioner to halt the registration process and conduct an inquiry into the fraudulent issuance of the NOC. He also asked for a joint meeting between the organization, and stakeholders, Nokma & Chra, Maharis before proceeding.
“It is imperative that due diligence is exercised to protect the interests of my people and ensure that land transactions comply with all legal provisions and laws of the state and the Autonomous District Council (ADC).”