128-acre Govt land to be handed over to Elaka of Saitsohpen
Shillong, Sep 30: In a bid to end a decades-old land dispute, the state government has decided to hand over 128 acres of land at Saitsohpen under Sohra subdivision to Elaka of Saitsohpen.
The dispute dates back to the British era, with the Elaka claiming ownership of the land based on historical records and occupation.
The decision was taken following a cabinet approval to recommendations of a committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong to engage with stakeholders for finding a permanent solution to the issue.
The committee took up the matter with the stakeholders for over a year and a half.
“Approximately 128 acres of land will be handed over to the Elaka, while the rest will remain with the Government Administrative Department (GAD) and the state government,” chief minister Conrad K Sangma told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Explaining the complexity of the dispute, he said, “There were certain areas occupied by the residents and by the Elaka overall for many decades even before the statehood… in fact, majority of them from British time. Therefore, based on all these records, there was a discussion that was done with the Elaka and we have reached a conclusion…,” Sangma said.
“With this decision, this long pending dispute and issue between the Elaka and the GAD hopefully, as I said, will be resolved,” he said.
