Meghalaya CM to Meet His Mizoram Counterpart to Settle Land Certificates Issue of Khasis in Mizoram
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has assured a CM-level discussion with his Mizoram counterpart Lalduhoma to resolve the long-standing issue of non-issuance of Land Settlement Certificates (LSCs) to the indigenous Khasi community residing in Mizoram.
The assurance came during a meeting at the Chief Minister’s office with a delegation comprising members of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) Central Executive Committee, the Khasi Welfare Committee of Mizoram, and the KSU Vairangte unit.
The delegation highlighted the uncertainty faced by over 500 Khasis living along the Assam-Mizoram border, whose presence in the region dates back to before 1930, due to repeated delays in receiving LSCs from the Mizoram government.
KSU General Secretary Donald V. Thabah told reporters that the Khasi population in Mizoram continues to live in 3 to 5 villages along the Assam border without legal recognition of their land rights, despite repeated promises by successive Mizoram administrations.
“We expressed our grievances to Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma regarding the non-issuance of land settlement certificates to the indigenous Khasi people of Mizoram by the Mizoram Government. The Khasis in Mizoram, especially those living in 3 to 5 villages along the Assam-Mizoram border, have been settled there since time immemorial before the formation of Mizoram and even before India’s independence. The population in these villages has now crossed around 500, and we feel that our community and our children deserve proper land settlement certificates, as our ancestors have lived here for generations.”
“The Chief Minister today assured us that he will hold a CM-to-CM level discussion on this matter at the earliest. While we are partially satisfied with the assurance about 50% we will await the outcome of the talks between the two chief ministers for a final resolution,” he added.
