RI BHOI:
The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) of the north Khasi Hills district (NKHD) along with the headman and village elders met the Deputy Commissioner of Ri Bhoi and lodged a complaint against the Assam government’s plan to electrify Sabuda village in the district, on July 15.
The union alleged that in the guise of supplying electricity to the village, the Assam government is trying to “capture” land in Meghalaya. Speaking to the press after the meeting, Banjop Maring, education secretary of KSU, NKHD unit, said, “We hope the Assam government stops encroachment as the border issue is in talks. We don’t want our people to live in fear, especially those living in the border areas.”
A village elder, requesting anonymity, said that since 2017, the efforts of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) to provide electricity to Sabuda have been hampered by the Assam Police. The villagers, however, hoped that the Meghalaya government will tackle the situation and provide them with electricity.
“On July 13, 2022 the Assam government erected electric posts with a plan to capture Meghalaya land by providing electricity to the area. The plan was to stop the development work of the Meghalaya government, but the villagers of Sabuda do not want electricity from Assam,” he alleged.
Referring to the incident, a KSU member from Sabuda, said, “On July 13 after getting the information, we stopped the delivery of electric posts and informed the headman.”