The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has been accused of causing a boundary dispute between two villages in Sohra.
The residents of Saitsohpen in Sohra have questioned the KHADC for recognising Kutmadan as a new village under Hima Sohra without properly demarcating its boundaries.
The residents of Saitsohpen alleged that the traditional head of Kutmadan village had encroached into their territory even as they stated that the KHADC demarcated the boundaries of the latter without doing any field work.
The Sirdar of Elaka Saitsohpen, Dawningstar Kynta alleged that the KHADC demarcated the boundaries of Kutmadan sitting in office without doing any physical inspection nor took the residents of Saitsohpen into confidence.
“We are surprised at the move of the district council to extend the boundaries of Kutmadan village into the territory of Saitsohpen,” Kynta told the residents during a public meeting held at Madan Saitsohpen today.
As per the notification signed by the Under Secretary of the Executive Committee of KHADC it was stated that Kutmadan has been recognised as new village with an area of 936 hectare and extending to Sohkynduh in the North, Sohkhmi in the East, Laitiam in the South, and Nongpriang, NIT Campus/Mawsmai in the West.
“As per this notification, there was no mention of Saitsohpen,” Kynta said.
He also informed that after he was elected as the Sirdar, the executive committee of Elaka Saitsohpen wrote to the headman of Kutmadan on July 18, 2022 seeking for a meeting to settle the pending border dispute between the two villages.
Stating that even two years, the headman of Kutmadan did not reply to the letter, Kynta said that to their surprise a year later in July 31, 2023, the villagers of Kutmadan began constructing a water tank in the area falling inside the jurisdiction of Saitsohpen.
The Sirdar of Saitsohpen informed that a letter was sent to the headman of Kutmadan to stop the construction of the water tank but no heed was paid to it.
According to Kynta, the Elaka Saitsohpen had filed two FIRs with the Sohra Police Station on the matter but the Executive Magistrate of Sohra Civil Sub-Division informed that resolving boundary disputes between villages is the job of the KHADC.
Kynta also said that the Dorbar Elaka Saitsohpen has filed a petition to the District Council requesting for demarcation of the boundary between Saitsohpen and Kutmadan. “However, only one hearing was held on October 31, 2023 on this matter,” he added.
Stating that there were “ulterior motives by somebody” in this entire episode, Kynta said that he would reveal all facts at the right time. He also pointed out that Elaka Saitsohpen has been in existence for 83 years.
Meanwhile, the public meeting has resolved that the residents of Saitsohpen will not allow the construction of the water tank at any cost.
