Shillong, July 15: The Jaiñtia National Council (JNC) Central Executive Committee and the Jaiñtia Students’ Union (JSU) Central Body held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the rally held the previous day at the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) office.
Speaking to reporters, JNC President Sambormi Lyngdoh said the remarks made by JHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Thombor Shiwat regarding the rally were misplaced and reflected a poor understanding of the issue.
“First of all, when the CEM says from where did these two organisations get the authority to march to the District Council, the fact is that we had already fulfilled our duty by seeking permission from the office of the Deputy Commissioner. We did not receive any response. As this is a democratic country, we have every right to protest peacefully anywhere,” Lyngdoh said.
He further said that the CEM’s claim of ignorance about the rally only exposed his weakness, since the agitation against the Shree Cement project was not a new issue. “This is not something new. Since last year, we have held protests in Shillong and at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Khliehriat. We are surprised that the CEM says he does not know about the issue, when in fact the matter had already been widely publicised through the media,” he added.
According to Lyngdoh, the agitation was triggered by complaints from residents of Elaka Nongkhlieh over the alleged forceful taking of land under the leadership of the Dolloi, without the knowledge or consent of the landowners, many of whom hold hundreds of hectares in the area.
He also stated that Elaka Sutnga had similarly claimed that its land was being affected by the Shree Cement limestone mining proposal, alleging that only 217 hectares had been disclosed initially, while the actual project area was said to be 652 hectares.
“We believe that land disputes should be handled by the District Council, which has been empowered by the Constitution of India under the Sixth Schedule to protect land, boundaries and customary rights. Unfortunately, the CEM still does not seem to understand the basis of our agitation,” he said.
Lyngdoh further said that while the CEM claimed he knew nothing about the rally, he had reportedly deployed police in advance and alleged that the organisations only intended to raise slogans and intimidate the Council office.
“We had even prepared a memorandum to submit to the CEM. Instead, he said he was willing to talk, but did not want to meet us. We have also received information that he was inside the office, but left with the EMs before we arrived. We do not know the reason. This clearly shows that he may have wanted to avoid facing the issue directly,” he said.
On the issue of No Objection Certificates (NOCs), Lyngdoh said the CEM had stated that JHADC issues NOCs on the request of the Elaka and the shnong. However, he pointed out that in another session of the Council, the CEM had said that NOCs were issued only when local authorities came under pressure. He said this contradiction has created confusion.
He added that the sanad issued to the Dollois by JHADC clearly states that no Dolloi is allowed to issue any NOC to any company without the prior approval of the Elaka and the District Council. “This clearly shows that the CEM either does not understand the law or is not fully familiar with the rules and conditions of the District Council,” said Sambormi Lyngdoh.
