A public meeting will be organised by the Save B Mahal Committee over the future of the contentious B Mahal lands.
Opposition has emerged of late against the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) for selling B-Mahal lands to the State government without the consent of the citizens.
The public meeting will be held at Pedaldoba Secondary School playground on August 13, committee chairman Rimjen Ch Sangma said.
According to the committee certain portions and areas of the B-Mahal area, which falls under North Garo Hills and West Garo Hills, up to 5000 hectares was sold by the district council for the government to set up Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Meghalaya Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in the exchange for Rs 58 crore as advance.
The committee said a meeting on land availability was held on May 20, 2022 which was chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K, Sangma and attended by GHADC CEM, Albinush Marak, MDC Rakesh Sangma, Commissioner and Secretary DCA, MR Synrem and Commissioner and Secretary of finance, Vijay Kumar.
“We strongly oppose the GHADC’s arbitrary move as land belongs to the citizens under Six Scheduled areas,” Sangma said.
Pointing out that after the abolition of the Zamindari system in 1951, the Bijini Rani handed over the land to the citizens, the committee said that the district council claims to have paid the Bijini Rani a sum of Rs. 13 lakhs for this land.
“If GHADC paid to the Bijini, then the handing and taking over/ an agreement with Zamindars should be furnished before selling this land. The GHADC is a custodian, not the owner of the land,” the committee added.
