Meghalaya Govt to find amicable solution for Tura encroached land: CM

Reported by Purbasha Bhattacharjee

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said that the government will try its best to find an amicable solution for land which have been encroached upon by the public in Tura.

He said that except in areas where the government requires the land for important purposes like extension of medical purposes or land required for MPSC offices, the government will work to find a mutually acceptable solution with the people for the encroached land.

He said that the Deputy Commissioner has been asked to submit a detailed report with the maps of different areas.

When asked about the prospect of people not leaving their land even for urgent government work, Sangma said, “This problem has been building up for 50 years, so the options available to the government are to remove all the people from the encroached land lock, stock and barrel and create a mess or to come to an understanding amicably.”

He added, “ If the government needs the land immediately we will tell the people that we will need that particular patch of land but rest of the encroached land which will be 90-95 per cent of the area will be available to the people. If there are lands which are clear of government projects, where the government can afford to accommodate people then let’s do this.”

However he cautioned that this does not mean that the government is giving the land away for free, the land will still belong to the government but the people will be given a long-term lease. “In Williamnagar, the settlement amounts to Rs 2-3 crore per year of government revenue, from Tura we expect to earn even more” he added.

Also Read: Will give red carpet welcome to Mukul Sangma: MPCC President