SHILLONG, MAY 23: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) Raid Nongtung Circle alleged that the village dorbar of Mawlasnai under Hima Khyrim in Ri Bhoi district violated the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act by selling a community land to a non-tribal 17 years ago.
As per the land document of one Tilku Bahadur, the dorbar shnong led by former sordar Lip Mawkdoh and secretary F Shadap had sold the land measuring 600 sq ft on August 28, 1999.
The land was for commercial and residential purposes. The land document also stated – “The land from now on will be your right and will inherited by your generation. You can sell it or do whatever you want and if anyone complaints, it will be upon the one (dorbar shnong) who issued this dulir.”
Opposing the sale by the dorbar shnong which came to light only recently, members of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) Raid Nongtung Circle today decided to close-down the shop of Bahadur.
“We have closed down the shop since acquisition of tribal land by person belonging to non-indigenous tribe is a violation of the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act, which prohibits such activity,” HYC-RNC president Hercules Suting told reporters on Monday.
Suting said, “Such illegal acts of the traditional heads, who are supposed to defend and protect tribal lands will only pose serious threat to the people, especially when the village is situated near the disputed block-II area.”
He informed that the HYC had taken up the issue after allegations by residents of the village that the land had been sold away by the dorbar shnong.
“It was only yesterday when Bahadur after being summoned produced the land document which prove that he had acquired the land from the dorbar shnong,” Suting said.
The incumbent sordar of the village, Peter Thongni however claimed before the HYC that the land was never sold to the non-tribal but it was just an agreement that was signed between the dorbar and Bahadur.
When asked, the HYC-RNC president informed that the organization would soon seek the intervention of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) on the issue.
“Both the parties, the one who acquired and the one responsible for selling away the land, should be summoned and action against them should be taken accordingly,” he demanded.
He also said that the HYC will also seek clarification from the Syiem of Hima Khyrim as to who authorized the village functionaries to sell the land.
According to him, if the authorities concerned fails to take action the HYC will be compelled to knock the door of the Meghalaya High Court for its intervention into the illegal selling of tribal land.- By Our Reporter
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