By Ronald Syiem and Nawaz Yasin Islam
NONGSTOIN/SHILLONG: The controversial Langpih area on the disputed Meghalaya – Assam border is sitting on a volcano, thanks to encroachments, illegal settlements and unauthorized constructions.
Unless a solution to the dispute through proper border demarcation between the two neighbouring states is arrived at, recent developments can lead to serious problems, as a visit to the village reveals.
A spot investigation by The Shillong Times and inputs from reliable sources suggested that people from a particular community from the neighbouring Mawbynna village encroached into Domtiehsaw, a village about seven kms from Langpih, and erected numerous bamboo structures.
The visit revealed that existence of settlements of both indigenous and non-indigenous communities alongside one another. The point of concern is the erection of structures in a place of religious importance. At the site, there were some incomplete bamboo structures which looked like temporary bamboo huts.
Villagers from Domtiehsaw said the place where the bamboo structures now stood was a place of religious importance. Recently, encroachers from Mawbynna village arrived and began building these structures.
“We warned them but they did not pay heed to our warnings. To avoid any altercations, we approached the Langpih Police Outpost and informed the In- Charge about the development. We escorted the In- Charge to the site. The In- Charge said that he would look into the matter and we were later informed that he had sent a report on the matter to the concerned authorities of the Meghalaya govt. So far, the structures still stand and no one has visited us or taken any action”, one said.
Again at Umwali, 10 kms from Langpih, encroachment of land has gone to such an extent that there are only 43 households of the indigenous community as against about 600 households of the non-indigenous community.
It was learnt from the Headman of Umwali, P Lyngdoh, that indigenous people were the first inhabitants of Umwali as early as 1965. Lyngdoh said J C Nongsiej and Jering Lyngkhoi were the first people to arrive and settle at Umwali in 1965. As a young boy, he had witnessed the migration of one person of a non-indigenous community into Umwali in 1980. But now it was found that the migrants had built a settlement of their own and had named their village Harshanagar.
A resident of Umwali informed that recently he was involved in a land dispute with a migrant whom he alleged had encroached into his land. Both the parties reported the matter to their respective police outposts. The officers in- charge of the police outpost of Langpih and Lumpee (as it is referred to by the Assam side) visited the disputed land and after hearing the debate decided that the land should be divided equally between them. He regretted his decision to inform the police as the decision cost him half his ancestral property.
Migrants who are new land owners said they were earlier settled in the vicinity and used to cultivate ginger, maize and broom. One of them claimed that the land belonged to no one eight years ago and so had used the land to cultivate the crops. Sometime last year his crops were uprooted and thrown away by one who claimed the plot to be his own. The migrant claimed that his land was registered under the Assam government and that he had land permits and paid annual revenue for his plot of land.
Officers in-charge of the police outposts at Langpih and Lumpee were not available as they had been tasked with election duty.
Illegal encroachment was also reported from Miangbyrkong village which lay around six kms from Ummali Village. Electric posts erected by Assam authorities at Mokaibari Village along the way to Miangbyrkong village were visible. The disputed areas nearby this village saw the encroachment of non-indigenous residents from the adjoining areas into the agricultural land of the indigenous community. Indigenous residents alleged that areas had been grabbed ‘forcefully’ and without prior information.
