Shillong, Feb 21: Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma on Tuesday demanded immediate probe into an alleged land scam at Mawpdang involving financial discrepancies amounting to over Rs 140 crore.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, he said the MDA government, to which he referred as Meghalaya Deceitful Alliance, has looted the state through purchase of around 807 acres of land in Mawkhanu village of Mawpdang. “The government had the middleman purchase the land, dupe the innocent landowners and villagers at the throwaway price of Rs. 45 per square feet, and then made a payment of Rs. 85 per square feet to the middleman,” he claimed.
The Leader of Opposition claimed that the rates were decided by the Cabinet on the 4th October, 2021 whereby the Minister-In-Charge for Urban Affairs piloted this proposal and was appropriately approved by the Department of Revenue. Accusing the Chief Minister, Revenue Minister, and Urban Affairs Minister of being behind the purported fraud, he said the State has been robbed of Rs 140 crores, which could have been given to the innocent land owners.
The AITC legislature party leader alleged there was an unholy nexus between the MDA government and the middlemen of the state, and demanded an immediate probe into the scam to ensure accountability.
Calling upon the Centre to take cognizance of the alleged scam, he recalled how the Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently went hammer and tongs during a rally in Garo Hills and alleged that the state is active in corruption. “He referred Meghalaya as the number 1 corrupt state in the country. This has defamed the name of the state and its people. Corruption is not our way of life. Our people are not that greedy. I would urge him to take immediate cognisance of this alleged corruption. Let there be immediate investigation into this (massive land scam),” Mukul said.
The Leader of Opposition also stated that the Meghalaya land scam is only an addition to the increasing instances of graft executed by the NPP-BJP government, including scams such as the Saubhagya scam, Smart Meter scam, and Assembly Dome Collapse scam.
He also reasoned that this scale of corruption cannot happen without the patronage of the people in authority. “Corruption is more crippling and deadlier than terrorism. There will be no more resources left for development or to create jobs. Through terrorism, people get affected but when you rob the state and cripple its economy, you are robbing every citizen and the future generations,” claimed the TMC leader.
He further said the government was answerable to the people for buying land at extremely inflated rates when the villagers had sold their ancestral property for half the amount.
