TURA:
A garo organisation based out of Williamnagar in East Garo Hills— Niksamso Garo Community Organisation has called on the authorities of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council to take steps to cancel land pattas given to non-tribals in council jurisdiction.
The organisation has alleged that large swathes of tribal land have been lost over the years on account of sale to non-indigenous people and demands that it be recovered.
It is worth mentioning that in the majority of cases of land transaction, village nokmas have been found guilty of parting with tribal land to outsiders for monetary gains. This is most prevalent in the plain belt region of West Garo Hills where entire villages consisting of non-locals have come up in areas that were once upon a time prime tribal areas.
To restrict participation by non-Garos into the district council, the NGCO has demanded that a new and separate electoral roll with effect from 2023 should be created to deter outsiders.
The demand for a separate electoral roll goes back decades with several organisations calling for the same and questioning the participation of non-locals in voting as well as contesting successive council elections.
It also urged upon the district council authorities to solve the vast number of cases involving dispute between nokmas who are the custodians of the land since the conflict has affected the clans from both sides and left the land in stagnation or controversy.
Also, the GHADC is one of the few autonomous bodies in the state which till date does not have its own service rules book for its employees as a result of which appointments and promotions are decided upon by elected MDCs and officials in violation of seniority and at the cost of genuine employees.