Shillong, Sept 22: Tura MDC Bernard Marak wrote a letter to GAD Minister Rakkam Sangma on Sunday regarding the violation of land rights of the hill people especially in Tura targeting the BJP voters who voted in the last election. ‘Proper inquiry be set up to inquire and justify the facts”, he said in the letter.
Full text of the letter below
Shri Rakkam Sangma,
Honourable Minister,
GAD Department,
Government of Meghalaya.
Sub : Attempt to grab Land by the State Government from the Nokma’s Akhing without
proper land acquisition and against Nokma’s consent.
Sir,
I would like to inform you that, the State Government under the Chief Ministership of Shri Conrad Sangma seems to be in a desperate attempt to grab land
from Tura in complete violation of the rights of the people and not acknowledging the
fact that this is a hill area under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution. NPP-led state
government continuesl to target the poor population that voted for BJP and suppressing
the rights to avail any facilities from the Centre claiming the land as GAD land without
proper acquisition. State government is not Tribal and it cannot grab tribal lands
without proper acquisition. The rights of the hill people have been grossly violated in
the past by grabbing land from the akhing area without Nokma’s consent and proper
acquisition. As you may be aware that in Tura, which happens to be the Chief Minister’s
constituency, the residents in many localities have faced difficulties from availing Centre
Schemes because the State Government claimed it to be a GAD land. The lands which
were grabbed illegally by the government are from Nikwatgre to Walbakgre 1046
bighas, ITI campus area measuring approximately 91 bighas, de-reserved area more than 150 bighas, Sepoy Colony and now recently, Government attempting to grab the
land of the Lepers which measured approximately 390 bighas. Sir, all these lands are under Akhing land and the Nokma has issued document to most of the residents and
some already have pattas yet GHADC issued pattas to Government Departments
without Nokma’s document which is a gross violation of the Rights of the Hill Tribals.
Sir, kindly know the fact why all Administrative Districts had “Hills” after their name, it is
to remind that State Government is functioning in the Hill People’s lands. So, the State has no right to grab a land officially belonging to the Nokmas. For that, even the Gazettes of 1975 and 1977 clearly stated that “Government elect to resume under the term of the lease instead of acquiring under the Act”. So, the State Government, even in the past did not acquire but used as required and that is eminent in the receipts which said requisition, not acquisition. Moreover, I have the term of the lease mentioned in the Gazette and according to that, State Government were supposed to pay the Awil Fees to the Akhing Nokmas which I believe the Government stopped paying 40 year ago.
Similarly, the land which belonged to the Lepers is not a GAD land and the Deputy Commissioner clearly stated that in his letter in 2016 which I have forwarded to the
Chief Minister already yet, some staff from State Survey or Revenue Department
forcefully surveyed the Leper’s land claiming it to be a GAD land which created mass
confusion and fear among the residents. Sir, the villagers of Leper Colony has a Nokma
Document against which GHADC during the time of Shri W.Ch. Marak (2016) issued a
patta to Medical Department illegally without the Nokma’s consent and without
acknowledging the letter forwarded to him by the Deputy Commissioner. You should
also know that, many families under this land already had patta long before GHADC
issued patta to Medical Department and the patta issued to the Medical Department was
issued illegally as it did not have Nokma’s document too. Therefore, you are humbly
requested to stop all process of illegally claiming the Akhing Lands as a GAD land as it
grossly violates the provisions of the Sixth Schedule and The Right to Fair
Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement
Act, 2013.
Therefore Sir, you are humbly requested to halt an attempt to grab the Tribal land
illegally as it may lead to greater conflict. Kindly do not violate the Constitution of India
and the Acts set in place to protect the Hill Tribals, failing which I as the Member of
District Council (MDC) of Tura might be compelled to challenge you and the Chief
Minister Conrad Sangma to a public debate.
Kindly acknowledge and abstain from violating the Hill Tribals.
Bernard Marak
Tura MDC
