SHILLONG, NOV 26: In a bid to resolve longstanding tensions, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday announced the government’s decision to regularize encroached government administrative department (GAD) lands in Tura, West Garo Hills, via long-term leases to occupants.

The move tackles 30–50 years of illegal settlements, court battles, and eviction dramas.

Addressing media persons after chairing a cabinet meeting by the Ward’s Lake, Sangma said, “…there are government lands which have been encroached by individuals and public at large in the past 30-50 years and in many cases, there have been alot of court cases going on and at different times, there has been eviction notices being given, which has caused alot of inconvenience and at times law and order situations. Hence, in line with the same policy which we adopted for Williamnagar two-three years back, the cabinet today has approved the proposal from GAD to go for settlements of these encroached lands. So, this will be leased out in a long term lease to the people who are staying in that land.”

He explained that such land will be revenue land.

“There are criteria that will be followed and based on those criterias, it (the encroached land) will be regularized in one way, settlement will be done so that in the future, there is no more complications and there are no more situations that the government or the public has to face,” the chief minister said while announcing that the first phase will start immediately.

“Localities which have agreed where the surveys have been done and digital maps have been created, the drone surveys have been done – all the necessary exercises have been done, public hearing has been done – for the last two years, this exercise have been going on. So the localities which have agreed in principle we have now decided to go ahead with those.”

Sangma assured that the government will not force those localities which have not agreed and are still having differences with the government and revenue department,

“We are not forcing those localities but in the second phase we will continue our discussions with them.”

The chief minister emphasized that this was a very important decision from Tura town point of view.

“This has been something which I have been personally talking about because this happens to also be my constituency and I know the problem first hand and I have been engaging with the public at large and I am very happy that this is something which we now have been able to settle,” he added.

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