The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) cannot be expected to provide shelter for refugees from Manipur who have been arriving in Shillong since the violence erupted in the neighbouring state in May.
This was the view of Nongthymmai MDC and former chief of the KHADC, Latiplang Kharkongor, who was clearly trying to pass the buck on to the state government.
The MDC, who in the recent KHADC summer session, had said that the Dorbar Shnongs are in a dilemma as to what to do with the refugees in their localities.
Speaking to some reporters yesterday after the last day of the budget session, Kharkongor reiterated that thousands of the refugees from Manipur are now spread across Shillong and beyond and are being given refuge by their relatives – some in hostels, in churches and those running their businesses in Shillong. Whether the figure of “thousands” is an official one or merely an estimate of the MDC was not clear.
The KHADC has directed the Dorbar Shnongs to keep track of the displaced persons in their area. However, the KHADC and the Dorbars have thrown up their hands as to where to shelter the refugees as the government has not provided any direction.
Meanwhile, Kharkongor said that many people from Manipur have bought land in recent years in the disputed border area of Block 2, like in Pillangkata.
“Where did they get the land, who sold them the land and who gave them the permission to buy land there? Now thousands of the refugees who fled Manipur have also taken refuge there in the border area,” he stated.
From arguments concerning the lack of space, his comments drifted towards the age-old fear of being swamped by influx. “I have seen in my constituency that once these people come here they seldom return to their state, which is a grave danger for the people of Meghalaya. One day they will get to avail the voters’ identity and ration cards and become citizens of the state and compete with the livelihood of our people,” he said.
