DEDICATED MEGHALAYA CIVIL SERVANTS GETS GOVT LAND FOR RUPEE 1

Meghalaya government has leased out land to a civil servants’ society at a price of about Re. 1 per square feet.

The government said the decision to lease the land measuring about 45 acres at Rs. 19.06 lakh was to show its appreciation of the “dedication and hard work” the officials put in towards development of the state.

The land was leased out for 99 years at Mawdiangdiang, a city suburb - to Civil Service Officers Housing Society Limited (CSOHSL). The society plans to develop houses that would be leased out to the officials.

The Chief Minister during a recent press meet justified the allotment saying: “the government officers’ work towards development of the state. So the state government in turn wants to look after their well-being.”

The land tenure system in Meghalaya is unique. Only local indigenous tribals are allowed to purchase and sell land under the Land Transfer Act, except in few pockets. All other individuals and institutions are therefore classified as “non-tribal” and cannot buy or sell land.

Interestingly therefore, institutions such as banks, government offices, hotels, industries – you name it- are non-tribal entities.

However, the Act also has a provision wherein land can be leased if the institutions help towards development of the state. It’s under this clause, industries, religious, educational institutions, and others can get land transferred in their favour.

Many tourism projects from the year 2002 to 2007 have remained incomplete largely because of non-availability of government land. “There is severe shortage of government land in the state. The State Government is desperately looking to have a land bank, so that projects don’t face unnecessary delay,” the state tourism minister, Ampareen Lyngdoh said recently.

In this context the land leased out to the society has raised eyebrows, especially the price tag. In the just concluded Assembly Winter session legislators questioned whether civil servants were the only ones who were "dedicatedly" working towards development of the state and were therefore entitled for such government largesses.

“What about like doctors, engineers, teachers, and host of other professionals and non-professionals are they not also working dedicatedly for the development of the state,” they asked.