SHILLONG, May 12: The demand to relocate the residents of Them Ïew Mawlong till now has not reached its desired goal, even after an intense tussle which arose in 2018, and even after the Government constituted a High Level Committee which has also already submitted its report on this matter.
Speaking with a Senior Advocate of the State, V.G.K Kynta said that it is only through the filing of a Civil Suit as directed by the Meghalaya High Court in 2019 which can end this problem and if the Government wants to take the area in Them Ïew Mawlong, it must go through the legal way.
He said that the public must know that once there is an interference and a want that they vacate, irrespective of whether they are identified settlers or illegal settlers, it must be done as per law, by going back to the old practice in which the Syiem of Mylliem is the owner of the land and he must therefore issue notices to the settlers to vacate the premise and even land deeds handed to places of worship must be revoked.
Kynta said that the inability of the State Government in making the illegal settlers in Them Ïew Mawlong vacate the are is because the leaders of the State are not experts in politics, who are not aware in the culture and practice of land holdings amongst the Khasis, who know of inheritance or laws or know of their own boundary and territory.
Kynta praised the KSU under the leadership of Lambok Marngar and Donald Thabah who took upon themselves the responsibility to bring to light the encroachment of plots of land belonging to the Khasis in Manipur, and at the same time also praised the Chief Minister of Manipur who gave a directive to chase out the illegal settlers in the plots of land belonging to the Khasis.
He said that the Chief Minister of Manipur, N.Biren Singh should be invited to be the Chief Minister of Meghalaya for a day to protect the land and area in the Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills.
