SHILLONG:
For All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) legislator, Charles Pyngrope, it would be imprudent to call the residents of Them Iew Mawlong “illegal settlers” if they have proper documents to prove that the land in question is indeed theirs.
“If they have documents to prove that this particular piece of land belongs to them, then how do they become illegal settlers. Before the Land Transfer Act of 1972, anybody could buy land here and as per our understanding, the residents have been here since before 1972,” said the Nongthymmai legislator.
He, however, also added that if the residents are claiming that they got ownership of the land post 1972, the best possible solution in such a situation will be to move the court. “There is always a court of law to settle such matters. The court of law doesn’t know Hima or Syiem or Dolloi, it will only see the papers that are there,” said Pyngrope.
The legislator said that ideally, if people are claiming that they own this piece of land at Them Iew Mawlong and the government wants it, the latter has to find an alternative for relocation of the people residing there or pay them, that too only if the claimants agree to hand it over in the first place, he said.
“If the papers indicate that this plot of land is registered in someone’s name, then obviously, to get it, the government will have to give the legal owners something in lieu of it. However, in case someone demands compensation for the land which does not belong to him, that is illegal. So, a procedure has to be followed,” he said.
The AITC legislator’s statement came at a time when the state government is preparing a blueprint of its proposal to relocate over 342 households from the Harijan Colony and the subsequent demand of the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) for 10 acres of land in exchange of the land at Them Iew Mawlong.
Pyngrope further added that the bone of contention in this issue is the ownership of the land.
“If the residents of the locality are employees of the government, then they were given proper accommodation, which is called staff accommodation. After retirement, the incumbent must leave the place. But if they have proper documents to prove that it is their land, then in lieu of it, the government must give them due compensation. They will expect a ‘give and take’ exchange,” said the legislator.
Pyngrope also added that now the ball is in the government’s court to work out the modalities and find the best possible solution that can be agreed upon by both the parties.
“I have not been apprised of the agreement. But let the government wrack its brains on the matter, and find out the best possible solution that can be agreed upon by both the parties. The point here is to ensure everything gets back to normal. That is what should be the government’s first priority,” said Pyngrope.