From Our Correspondent
TURA, Dec 13: Eight localities in Tura town, comprising 754 households, were overwhelmed with tears of joy on Friday as they were finally awarded periodic lease documents for the land they had been living on for years.
These families have long resided on encroached government land, facing uncertainty and difficulties. The documents were handed over by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma in the presence of cabinet minister Marcuise N. Marak.
During the handing-over ceremony, the chief minister recalled the long-standing concerns of these communities and said, “Whenever our leader PA Sangma visited the localities in Tura, people would come to him with their concerns about living on government land and the various problems they faced. Most of these localities had no approach roads, no electricity, no water supply. They also struggled to obtain caste certificates, birth certificates and other essential documents. Years later, when I contested the election in Tura, people from these same localities brought up the same concerns. So I decided to take this issue up. It was difficult, but with concerted effort, we have managed to find a solution.”
During the programme, 452 bighas of land were provided to the public under periodic lease documents.
The chief minister became emotional as he recalled the efforts of PA Sangma.
“PA Sangma tried to resolve this issue. It was long pending… He would always say, ‘Who are these people living on government land? They are our people, and we must help them.’”
Conrad paused, fumbling for words, with tears in his eyes.
Despite the emotions, the joy of resolving one of the most critical issues of Tura town was evident.
“He (Purno) told me that if God gives you the opportunity, you must endeavour to resolve the problems of our people. PA Sangma always shared with us his vision for the people, the public and the community, and taught us to put people first,” Conrad said.
Reflecting on the decision, he said, “…Being in public life is about serving the people. This was a very difficult decision, not a simple one—but because of the vision and principles of PA Sangma, we were able to take it forward and resolve the issue.”
The chief minister also clarified that the decision was not politically motivated. “I could have taken this decision just before the election, but our intention was to genuinely serve the people and provide relief.”
He urged the localities to accept the land documents and comply with the instalment payments. “I am not forcing anyone to accept it. As long as Conrad is in the chair, we will not evict anyone. But I worry about what will happen after me. So, when such an opportunity is given, people should take advantage of it.”
He informed the public that the land documents are renewable and that the lease amount has been fixed at a nominal rate. He also announced that church land and graveyards will be exempted, and directed the Deputy Commissioner to follow due procedures for allotting land to the respective localities.
The Settlement of Government Land under Tura Town Area, West Garo Hills District was initiated in 2023-2024.
The Cabinet meeting held on November 26 approved the settlement of government land under Tura town area in eight localities to 754 households, covering a total of 149.5 acres or 452 bighas.
The map of the eight localities where land settlement was undertaken was prepared through a joint survey conducted by the Revenue Branch, Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Tura; District Urban Planner; District Urban Affairs Unit, Tura; and DPMU–West Garo Hills, MBMA.
The eight localities are: Dakopgre Ronggi Songgital, ITI Upper Matchakolgre, Meghalaya Survey School locality, Sepoy Colony DC Office locality, Deringgagre locality, Chinap Asrang locality and Nikwatgre locality.
Under phase one of the land settlement, the eight localities covering an area of 211.5 bighas have been granted leases from the Deputy Commissioner (Revenue), West Garo Hills, on behalf of the state government. The lease agreement between each household and the government will be for a period of 30 years. The maximum area of land to be allotted per household or family will be 0.69 bighas or 10,000 sq ft.
Every household leasing land will pay a fixed annual amount to the government as land tax (Rs 2,000 per bigha), with reference to the settlement in Williamnagar at Balsri Gittim and Warima localities in 2022. Each household will also pay a fixed one-time settlement amount, which may be paid in a maximum of three instalments.
