Shillong: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council just slammed the brakes on runaway land sales. It imposed firm ceilings on Raid land holdings to stop outsiders and big business from swallowing up tribal property. Tribes fear losing their ancestral homes. They want to keep their land.
The move stems from a formal notification under the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Regulation and Administration of Land) Act, 2021. The Council hopes to curb rural-to-urban migration and protect indigenous cultural identity. Unchecked land allotments are now history.
Specific limits vary by project. Homestays get two acres. Hotels and resorts top out at four. Schools are capped at eight acres, while universities can occupy up to fifteen. Hospitals, sports complexes, and religious buildings are limited to five acres apiece. Agricultural plots sit at ten acres, with cash crops allowed up to twelve. Fisheries and animal husbandry projects are restricted to three.
Any allotment exceeding these caps is void. The Council aims to stop the shrinking of community resources. As officials stated, the ceiling mechanism is "intended to preserve community lands and ensure that future generations of indigenous people continue to have access to these critical resources."
The Executive Committee holds a narrow escape hatch. They may grant larger plots if the project serves the tribal community. These rules skip over land acquired by state or federal governments, or the KHADC itself. All other undefined land uses go to the Executive Committee for individual review.
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