The banned Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has stated that the State government is attempting to downplay the dangers of the Invest Meghalaya Agency (IMA) land acquisition agenda.
Rejecting Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s statement on the creation of land banks under the IMA, the HNLC said it is misleading and poses a serious threat to the autonomy and territorial rights of the Hynñiewtrep people.
“The Chief Minister’s assurance that the Land Transfer Act will remain intact is a calculated attempt to pacify concerns while creating loopholes for land exploitation. The IMA’s mandate to purchase and manage land directly bypasses the intent of the Land Transfer Act, which exists to protect indigenous lands from encroachment. Empowering a state agency to act as a land bank undermines the traditional systems of land management, which have preserved our identity and culture for centuries,” HNLC publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw said in an email statement.
Stating that the claim that the IMA will not bypass the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) or traditional heads, Nongtraw said this was equally deceptive. “By centralizing land-related decision-making within the IMA, the government sidelines the very institutions enshrined in the Sixth Schedule to protect tribal self-governance. This move weakens the role of the ADCs and traditional institutions, reducing them to mere spectators in the exploitation of ancestral lands,” he added.
“The concept of land banks, introduced under the guise of investment promotion, commodifies land that has been communally owned and managed for generations,” he stated.
“In the Hynñiewtrep society, land is not just a resource but the very foundation of our identity and way of life. The creation of land banks threatens to erode this sacred relationship by opening the door to displacement, environmental degradation, and the exploitation of natural resources,” he said.
Nongtraw further said that drawing a parallel with entities like the Meghalaya Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is an attempt to normalise the IMA’s dangerous mandate. “However, unlike these corporations, the IMA’s unprecedented power to consolidate and lease large swathes of land poses a direct challenge to the communal ownership system that has safeguarded our lands for centuries,” he stated.
While referring to history with examples of how such policies have devastated indigenous communities in the country and globally the HNLC said, “The promise of development was a smokescreen for the systematic disempowerment of indigenous people.”
“Economic growth cannot come at the expense of indigenous self-rule and traditional land stewardship. The Hynñiewtrep people have witnessed the hollow promises of development before, where outsiders and elites reaped the benefits while locals bore the costs. The proposed land banks are no different—they will enrich a few at the cost of the many, leaving our people landless and vulnerable,” it said.
“The Chief Minister’s claim of safeguarding indigenous interests rings hollow when the IMA’s plan lack transparency and meaningful consultation with traditional institutions. Decisions about land must be made with the consent of the people, not imposed by an agency acting on behalf of external investors,” the HNLC added.
