CONGRESS GOVERNMENT GIVE MEGHALAYA BABUS LAND AT Re 1!

The Congress-led Meghalaya Government's decision, to allot land to Civil servant Babus at a token fee of Re 1 per square feet, has been challenged in the High Court by a social organization   through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).

The Congress 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 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 Mukul Sangma 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.”

However, the Civil Society Women’s Organization (CSWO) challenging the decision said: “We filed the PIL before the Meghalaya High Court on the unauthorized allotment of land. The matter must be probed by the CBI and charge-sheets must be filed against officials  involved in allotting land to themselves,” Agnes Kharshiing president of CSWO said. She is further seeking the intervention of the Court in cancelling the land agreement.

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

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 of Re 1.