SHILLONG, March 10 — The Mylliem Block Congress Committee (MBCC) on Tuesday raised strong objections to the alleged leasing of government land belonging to the veterinary department at Upper Shillong to a private firm, Ashok Auto Service, for a petrol pump and other commercial uses. MBCC leader Lionel Nongkhlaw said the land, located in the Mylliem constituency, should have been reserved for livestock and farmer-oriented facilities rather than private commercial development.
Nongkhlaw told reporters the plot could have supported a veterinary hospital, a veterinary college, a livestock research centre or a feed mill — projects that he said would bolster the rural economy and help cattle rearers, piggery and poultry farmers who depend on livestock for their livelihoods. “Instead, the government has opted to lease it out for private commercial use,” he said.
The Congress leader also flagged the sensitive legal and social context: the site lies within a Sixth Schedule area where tribal land protections and the interests of indigenous communities are specially guarded. Although government land may not fall under the same private-land provisions, Nongkhlaw argued the spirit of constitutional safeguards requires public land in tribal areas be used primarily for community benefit.
Public concern has also centred on the terms of the lease, which Nongkhlaw said involved a one-time premium of Rs 1 lakh and a nominal annual rent — arrangements he described as disproportionately favourable. He noted that the lessee previously operated a petrol pump at Anjalee on land leased from defence authorities and was reportedly ordered by a court to vacate that site, prompting questions about why the same party was later granted the Upper Shillong plot.
“This raises serious public concern,” Nongkhlaw said, asking who authorised the allocation and whether any undisclosed arrangements influenced the decision. He added that the move appears especially unfair while local street vendors along the Mylliem–Upper Shillong stretch struggle to secure space to earn a living.
Nongkhlaw acknowledged the efforts of the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) and Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong Upper Shillong in bringing the issue to public attention, and criticised the silence of the constituency’s elected representatives, including the MLA and the MDC, who he said had earlier pledged to protect local interests.
Condemning what he called a double standard by the government, Nongkhlaw said the Congress will continue to press the matter and stand with people of Mylliem to safeguard land and indigenous rights, warning that failure to protect communal land today will be judged harshly by future generations.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/03/11/mylliem-cong-questions-leasing-of-veterinary-land-to-private-firm/
Category: MEGHALAYA
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Publish Date: 2026-03-11 03:02:00
