Meghalaya
Mawkyndor and Mukhla Mission from West Khasi Hills District; Diengpasoh from East Khasi Hills District
,
Lad Mukhla
,
West Jaintia Hills
Published : 12 July, 2014   |   Last updated - 24 Jun, 2024
Four Meghalaya villages resist land acquisition for high-speed corridor project
Reported by
Sarup Sinha
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Updated by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
People Affected
2024
Year started
Land area affected
Households affected
People Affected
2024
Year started
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Roads
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

The proposed four-lane high-speed corridor, which aims to connect Umiam in Meghalaya with Silchar in Assam, has hit a significant roadblock amid opposition from four villages in Meghalaya, which have declined to give up their land for the project.

The villagers have urged the government to focus on improving the existing road infrastructure instead. The four villages include Diengpasoh from East Khasi Hills District and three villages from West Khasi Hills District: Mawkyndor, Lad Mukhla, and Mukhla Mission.

The central government has reportedly allocated Rs 24,000 crore for the project, estimated to span 160 km.

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the corridor is currently being prepared, with National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited aiming to award the contract within the current financial year.

Given the ongoing obstacles in the land acquisition process, the state government has established District-Level Committees to negotiate with the landowners. However, the absence of formal revenue records for said land has hindered these efforts.

The project is expected to give a much-needed connectivity boost to what is one of the busiest routes in the region. The current road conditions tend to get extremely poor during monsoon season, particularly in the Ratacherra stretch.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand to cancel the project

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common and Private

Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

24000

Type of investment:

Not Available

Year of Estimation

2024

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Author
Reported by
Sarup Sinha

Meghalaya

Kumar Sambhav is a social entrepreneur and award-winning journalist, leading innovative research in accountability investigations. He is the founder of Land Conflict Watch and is currently working as India Research Lead with Princeton University’s Digital Witness Lab.

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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand to cancel the project

Four Meghalaya villages resist land acquisition for high-speed corridor project

Reported by

Sarup Sinha

Legal Review by

Sourabh Rai, Anmol Gupta

Edited by

Anupa Sagar Kujur

Updated by

Updated by

Published on

September 22, 2024

October 4, 2024

Edited on

September 22, 2024

Sector

Infrastructure

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Roads

Starting Year

2024

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

ha

Households Affected by Conflict

People Affected by Conflict

State

Meghalaya

Sector

Infrastructure

People Affected by Conflict

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

ha

Starting Year

2024

Location of Conflict

Lad Mukhla

Mawkyndor and Mukhla Mission from West Khasi Hills District; Diengpasoh from East Khasi Hills District

West Jaintia Hills

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Roads

Land Conflict Summary

The proposed four-lane high-speed corridor, which aims to connect Umiam in Meghalaya with Silchar in Assam, has hit a significant roadblock amid opposition from four villages in Meghalaya, which have declined to give up their land for the project.

The villagers have urged the government to focus on improving the existing road infrastructure instead. The four villages include Diengpasoh from East Khasi Hills District and three villages from West Khasi Hills District: Mawkyndor, Lad Mukhla, and Mukhla Mission.

The central government has reportedly allocated Rs 24,000 crore for the project, estimated to span 160 km.

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the corridor is currently being prepared, with National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited aiming to award the contract within the current financial year.

Given the ongoing obstacles in the land acquisition process, the state government has established District-Level Committees to negotiate with the landowners. However, the absence of formal revenue records for said land has hindered these efforts.

The project is expected to give a much-needed connectivity boost to what is one of the busiest routes in the region. The current road conditions tend to get extremely poor during monsoon season, particularly in the Ratacherra stretch.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand to cancel the project

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common and Private

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

24000

Type of investment:

Not Available

Year of Estimation

2024

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Legal Data

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Legislations/Policies Involved

National Highways Act, 1956
Section 3A [Where the Central Government is satisfied that any land is required for any public purpose, a notification containing brief description shall be published] Section 3C [Objections by aggrieved persons to proposed land acquisition to be made to the competent authority in writing. Competent Authority to give objectors a chance to be heard Section 3G [competent authority should determine compensation in accordance with the usage and nature of the land]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 105(1) [The 2013 Act is not to be applicable in cases where land is acquired under laws specified in the Fourth Schedule.] Section 105(3) [Even for land acquisition proceedings initiated under other acts from the Fourth Schedule, compensation will be determined by this Act.] Fourth Schedule, Entry 7 [National Highways Act, 1956 included in list of exempted legislations]
National Policy on Disaster Management, 2009
This policy classifies Meghalaya as a very high-damage risk zone (Zone V).
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Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute

No

What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?

What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?

Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:

Non-consultation with stakeholders

Controversial land acquisition by the government

Legal Status:

Out of Court

Status of Case In Court

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

Name of the adjudicatory body

Name(s) of the Court(s)

Case Number

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

No items found.

Reported Details of the Violation:

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Meghalaya Revenue & Disaster Management Department, District Administration of East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Information on the use of criminal law

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Resources

Resources Related to Conflict

  • News Articles Related to the Conflict:
  • Documents Related to the Conflict:
  • Links Related to the Conflict:

Images

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Video

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