The Achik Conscious Holistically Integrated Krima (ACHIK) has extended its support to the Khasi Students Union (KSU) in its demand to scrap the Meghalaya State Investment Promotion and Facilitation (MSIPF) Act and implementation of the inner line permit in the State.
In a statement here today ACHIK said it stands in solidarity with the KSU in the fight for indigenous rights and land protection and in their ongoing protests.
“We share KSU’s deep concerns that the MSIPF Act poses a serious threat to the land, identity, and economic security of our indigenous communities,” ACHIK president MM Sangma said.
In Meghalaya land belongs to its people, and any policy that facilitates direct land transfer to private investors’ risks undermining the traditional and constitutional safeguards that protect tribal ownership, Sangma said.
“The Meghalaya Land Transfer Regulation Act of 1971 must remain the guiding principle for land protection, and no investment policy should override these protections in the name of economic growth,” he added.
ACHIK said it has also long advocated for the implementation of the ILP to protect the indigenous communities from unchecked migration and would reaffirm that it is a necessary tool to preserve and prevent exploitation of the State’s resources by external forces.
Demanding the repeal of the Act, the organisation also urged the government to engage in meaningful dialogue with stakeholders, including community-based organizations, student unions, and traditional institutions, before introducing any policy.
