Shillong, Feb 24: Deputy Chief Minister in charge of the Home Department, Prestone Tynsong, today informed the Assembly that the long-pending issue concerning the 600m stretch of the Happy Valley–Mawshbuit road, located on defence land, is close to being resolved.
Responding to a supplementary question raised by Mawryngkneng MLA Heaving Stone Kharpran, Tynsong said that discussions held a day earlier under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had yielded positive results.
He said the meeting was attended by the Gorkha Training Centre (GTC) of the Army, defence officials and representatives of the state government. According to him, the Army authorities have agreed that there will be no obstruction to traffic movement for residents travelling to and from Mawshbuit village.
Tynsong told the house that the formal proceedings of the meeting are expected shortly. Once finalised and signed, directions will be issued to the district administration to ensure that vehicular movement along the stretch remains uninterrupted.
To bring greater clarity to the matter, the Deputy CM said a fresh survey will be undertaken. The district administration, along with the Directorate of Land Records and Survey, has been tasked with carrying out a detailed resurvey of the area. He maintained that relevant land documents are already available but said the new survey would help remove any ambiguity surrounding the boundary and ownership questions.
He also noted that maintenance of the disputed stretch falls under the jurisdiction of the defence authorities.
Addressing a related concern about reported Army objections to the construction of a bridge over Wah Umkhen, Tynsong said the district collector will carry out a joint inspection with defence officials, as part of the land involved is under defence control.
On the issue of competing land claims flagged by Nongkrem MLA Ardent Basaiawmoit, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the defence authorities’ land documents would be placed before the House to provide clarity.
Describing the recent meeting as constructive, Tynsong expressed confidence that the decades-old issue is nearing a breakthrough. He reiterated that while ownership claims over defence land cannot be entertained, the government has consistently assured residents that access to Mawshbuit village would not be disrupted.
