Tura, April 6: Social activist Cherian Momin has objected and condemned the gifting of 455 bighas of land to the Ghanshyam Bhora Charitable Foundation, a non-local private entity, over what he alleged was irregular registration and fraud.
The matter had earlier been raised by the Rongrong MDC, Rinaldo K Sangma who had brought to the notice of everyone that 455 bighas of land had been provided in the New Kantolguri area under Resubelpara without information to him or the general public of the area.
Alleging that the NOC had been fraudulently acquired, Cherian urged the state government, the executive council of the GHADC and the Nokmas to publicly verify the legal standing of the NOC, authenticate the registration process, clarify whether customary procedures were adhered to and immediately halt all administrative or legal processes related to the said land transaction until the matter is properly investigated and adjudicated.
Standing firm with the MDC, the activist stated that under The Meghalaya Land Transfer Act, 1971 and the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, tribal lands are protected from transfer to non-tribals or non-local entities without due legal safeguards and community consultation. Any breach thereof amounts to a direct attack on indigenous autonomy, rights, and dignity.
