TURA, April 26 � West Garo Hills district administration has clamped Section 144 CrPC in and around the 15-km stretch of Wadagokgre Archaeological Site following large scale entry of illegal settlers and extraction of soil and earth from the proximity of the fortification wall by use of heavy machinery.
There has been willful damage to the ancient structures like the stupa and fortification wall that runs all along the area by illegal digging, informed Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Goyal.
Some of the perpetrators involved in allowing illegal encroachers happens to be the Nokma of Wadagokgre and a group of local settlers who have sold off a portion of the A�king land near old Bhaitbari market, close to the fortification wall for a consideration and with the understanding that the area could be used for digging of soil by deploying heavy machinery and offered for sale to local contractors in total contravention of Meghalaya Land Transfer Act, 1971 and District Council Rules.
�This is a gross and willful violation of the provisions of Assam Ancient Monuments and Records Act, 1959 (as adopted by Meghalaya) which has been notified in 1996.
The prohibitory orders ban any form of digging of soil or damage, alteration, removal, misuse or injury to the protected structures all along the 15 km stretch of Wadagokgre Archaeological Site/Ancient Protected Area inclusive of four metres area from the fortification wall and ancient protected structures, the boundaries of which are � 15 km stretch of Wadagokgre (Bhaitbari) Archaeological site/ancient fortified area with Rajpur and Timmuni in the south, Wadagokgre, Balujhora and Gandhipara in the east and Nayagaon in the north.
The order also prohibits the local settlers and residents from causing any activity to be performed within four metres of the vicinity of the protected monuments which shall harm or irreversibly damage the fortification wall and other structure of the archaeological site.
The DC�s order has also invalidated all agreements, sale deeds or documents which may have been clandestinely or openly executed between the Nokma and local settlers for sale and land use as they are in gross violation of Meghalaya Land Transfer Act 1971 and District Council Rules.
