Shillong, Dec 4: The Jaiñtia National Council (JNC) has alleged a major violation of the Land Transfer Act linked to the proposal for a cement plant in Daistong, East Jaintia HIlls.
Today the JNC submitted a detained complaint and stay petition to the Revenue and Disaster Management Department demanding immediate suspension of the December 2025 public hearing.
According to the paperwork connected to the project, a non-tribal, Bharat Sharma, has purchased the land for the project from Syrpaibha Sukhlain, a tribal. This, prima facie, violates the state’s land transfer laws that forbid transfer of tribal land to non-tribals without written permission of the Deputy Commissioner. No such permission appears to have been received.
The JNC also stated that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report states that the proposed site for the project is 6.35km from Saipung Reserved Forest but no clearances were submitted along with the EIA. The pressure group also pointed to the absence of permission from the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) for the project, as it is on land under its jurisdiction, or the Dolloi or headman.
“The JNC will not allow any violation of tribal land rights under our watch,” its president Sambormi Lyngdoh said. “We have acted swiftly and responsibly by filing three official letters and one major complaint. Until the government confirms the legality of the land transfer, the public hearing must be halted immediately.”
