VPP president and Nongkrem legislator today demanded for a complete stop to further alienation of tribal land in Meghalaya even as he pointed out many instances of violation of Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, 1971.
Moving a resolution in the State Assembly today, Basaiawmoit referred to the insertion of Section 4 (1) (e) & (f) in the Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, 1971, by an amendment brought in 1991 to ensure the rights of religious societies for transfer of land in their name.
“These sections relate to the land proposed to be transferred for a place of public religious worship by any community or as burial or cremation ground. These two sections were inserted by the government on its own accord, as if the land belonged to it. These two sections opened the door for non-tribals to purchase land in Meghalaya, which was a departure from the inherent character of the act,” he said.
According to him, the implementation of the two sections had resulted in the loss of a large amount of tribal land to non-tribals besides allowing an influx of people from outside the State to acquire land. He also sought immediate deletion of the two sections from the Land Transfer Act.
Basaiawmoit also said there were new attempts to weaken the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act. He cited the proposal by one of the ministers in the State government to allow doctors from outside the State to buy land in Meghalaya to address the shortage of specialist doctors in the State.
“This is a dangerous proposition and it should not be considered at any cost. Even the decision to allot land to bureaucrats at the New Shillong Township is a clear violation of the Land Transfer Act,” he said.
The VPP legislator said the transfer of land to the bureaucrats under the Civil Services Officers Housing Cooperative Society Limited through a lease is illegal under the Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, 1971.
“Section 3 of the Act prohibits the transfer of land in Meghalaya by a tribal to a non-tribal or by a non-tribal to another non-tribal except with the previous sanction of the competent authority. Section 2 (d) of the Act defines ‘transfer’ of land means the conveyance of land of one person to another and includes gift, sale, exchange, mortgage, lease, surrender or any other mode of transfer. Hence, the lease of government land in New Shillong Township to the Civil Services Officers Housing Cooperative Society Limited is a violation of the Land Transfer Act,” he added.
Basaiawmoit also questioned the attempt to misinterpret this definition to encourage other tribals not belonging to Meghalaya to purchase land in the State on the pretext that they are included in the list of Scheduled Tribes order 1950.
“As a result of this misinterpretation lots of other tribes from other states are now purchasing land in our State especially in the southern parts of the State, which is clearly in contravention of the Act,” he said.
Basaiawmoit also pointed out that huge areas of land have already been alienated in the name of development.
“Land was given to the NEHU, NEIGRIHMS, ICAR, airport, factories and armed forces but what have we received in return? Have these institutions benefitted the indigenous people. The answer is no. They have become agents to facilitate the inflow of outsiders into our State. Even the State government seems to have no interest in ensuring that these institutions should render maximum benefit to the local people,” he added.
He also sought to know from the State government of the action taken against those people who are involved in the selling away of tribal land to people who are not covered by the Land Transfer Act.
Basaiawmoit named the Syiem of Raid Marwet as one of the persons involved in illegal transfer of tribal land. Moreover, he sought to know the action that the government would take against those Deputy Commissioners who willingly registered such land which were acquired in direct contravention to the Land Transfer Act.
In his reply, Revenue Minister Kyrmen Shylla said that the State government since the inception of the State has tried to protect the interest of the people by enacting the Land Transfer Act.
Further, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma while reacting to Basaiawmoit’s allegations about tribals from other states trying to purchase land in the State said that whatever that happened was as per the provisions. He however said that the government would examine the matter.
Sangma also said that people can move the court against any illegal transfer of land in the State.
