Meghalaya
Mawkyndor and Mukhla Mission from West Khasi Hills District; Diengpasoh from East Khasi Hills District
,
Lad Mukhla
,
West Jaintia Hills
Published :
Sep 2024
|
Updated :
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
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?

JOIN
THE LCW COMMUNITY
Exclusive monthly policy briefs, stories from the ground, Quarterly Analytics report, Curated Expert talks, merchandise and much more.


Support our work.
Sign Up Today
Author
Reported by
Sarup Sinha

Meghalaya

Sarup is a researcher and doctoral student in Political Science at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. His research interests lie in the area of ethnic and land conflicts, political ecology and development and urban spaces of Northeast India. He has a Masters’ degree in Development Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. He has previously done research/internships with NABARD, Oxford Microfinance Initiative (renamed Oxford Development Consultancy) and CSDS (Lokniti Programme).

Show more work
Latest updates
Devbhoomi Dwarka
Gujarat

2,754 Gujarat Villages without Grazing Land, Residents Allege Forceful Acquisition by State

Ahmedabad
Gujarat

AMC Provides Rehabilitation to Street Vendors in Ahmedabad Following Protests Against Eviction

Bhavnagar
Gujarat

Farmers Oppose Limestone Mining on Fertile Land in Gujarat's Bhavnagar District

Junagadh
Gujarat

Relocated Maldharis Return to Gujarat's Gir Park, at Loggerheads with Forest Department

South Delhi
Delhi

Delhi Development Authority Demolishes Slum in Batla House, 800 Families Left Homeless

Jamnagar
Gujarat

Essar Port Threat to Mangroves, Livelihood of Fisherfolk in Gujarat

Surat
Gujarat

Fisherfolk Fear Livelihood Loss as Industry Body Plans Textile Park in Surat

Kutch
Gujarat

Agariya Farmers in Gujarat Demand Seasonal Land Rights, Minimum Support Price for Salt

Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand to cancel the project

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

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?

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

JOIN
THE LCW COMMUNITY
Exclusive monthly policy briefs, stories from the ground, Quarterly Analytics report, Curated Expert talks, merchandise and much more.


Support our work.
Sign Up Today
Conflicts Map
Conflict Database
About Us