Shillong, March 16: The member of the GHADC Mr.Rinaldo K Sangma has written to the Deputy Commissioner of North Garo Hills District to halt the registration of the land of the Ghanshyam Bhora Charitable Foundation which is above 455 bighas at New Kantolguri in Resubelpara in North Garo Hills District.
In the letter the MDC of the GHADC has mention that the Ghanshyam Bhora Charitable Foundation, a Jaipur-based organization for acquiring large mass of tribal community land without adhering to required norms and laws.
It has come to his knowledge that the No Objection Certificate (NOC) required for this transaction was fraudulently obtained from the NPP Chief Executive Member (CEM).
The MDC said that this raises serious legal and ethical concerns, first. foremost and most importantly, the questionable point is the NOC having been obtained without the prior knowledge of the local member of the District Council.
While their very task is to uphold the rights and privileges of our local constituents and Garo community, the organization has not even once considered in intimating or approaching the local representative in the deliberation of a very important matter.
The acquisition of such a vast tract of land under questionable circumstances poses significant risks, including potential alienation for exploitation of local resources, displacement of our future children and vio lation of established land laws under Meghalaya Land Transfer Act.
Moreover, as per reports and documents received by me, the process by which the NOC was granted, lacks transparency and has by-passed certain mandatory norms, regulations and must be thoroughly investigated before any further action is taken.
While in Khasi Hills, there is strong opposition to the Meghalaya Industrial and Investment Promotion Scheme (MIIPS) for undermining traditional land protection laws, in Garo Hills, mass tracts of land are being handed over without proper scrutiny often to outside organizations from the state, raising concerns about exploitation and potential loss of tribal land rights of the people of Garo Hills by certain malice vested local individuals.
The MDC urge the Deputy Commissioner office to immediately halt the registration process and conduct a inquiry into the fraudulent issuance of the NOC. He would also like to request you to initiate for a Joint meeting with the Organization, Stakeholders, Nokma and Chra, Maharis and myself before proceeding any step further as the NOC has been obtained.
It is imperative that due diligence is exercised to protect the interests of my people and ensure that land transactions comply with all legal provisions and laws of the State and the Autonomous District Council. Kindly acknowledge receipt of this letter and keep him informed of any actions taken in this regard.
