SHILLONG, March 9 — The Upper Shillong Circle of the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) and Ka Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong, Upper Shillong, on Monday strongly opposed a proposal to establish a petrol pump on government land belonging to the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department at Hynriew Mer. Their objection was raised during a joint site inspection attended by Urban Affairs Department officials, representatives of the East Khasi Hills district administration, the owner of Ashok Auto Service (Anjalee Petrol Pump), and officials from the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
The inspection, originally scheduled for February 23, was postponed to Monday due to the recently concluded budget session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. FKJGP Upper Shillong Circle president Kitboklang Nongphlang said the organisation had not received a formal invitation to participate; he said the Block Development Officer of Mylliem C&RD Block had written only to the Rangbah Shnong of Dorbar Shnong San Mer and to the president of Ka Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong.
Nongphlang questioned a lease signed in December 2023 between former Urban Affairs Director E. Kharmalki and the owner of Ashok Auto Service. He said the 13,181-square-foot plot within the Indo-Danish Project campus was earmarked for dairy and other farming development under the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department and that leasing it for a private petrol pump “will defeat that very purpose.” He added the FKJGP would accept relocation of the proposed petrol pump to another site but insisted it should not be placed on departmental government land.
According to the lease, the land was leased to Ashok Auto Service for 30 years from December 2023, for which the lessee paid a one-time premium of ₹1 lakh and is to pay an annual rent of ₹10 per square metre before March 31 each year, subject to revision. Nongphlang called the rent “too meagre,” saying it amounted to a virtual sell-out of government land, and objected to clauses allowing ancillary commercial facilities and giving the lessee the first right to renew the lease.
Nongphlang warned the group would resist any use of force to implement the project and said it could mobilise more than 1,000 residents to protest. Separately, Ka Synjuk member Arju Dkhar demanded clarity on an earlier lease between Ashok Auto Service and defence authorities for the plot where the existing Anjalee Petrol Pump once stood, saying further talks would not proceed until the status of that agreement is confirmed.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/03/10/relocation-of-anjalee-petrol-pump-to-govt-land-faces-resistance/
Category: MEGHALAYA
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Publish Date: 2026-03-10 02:20:00
