Almost five decades after their issuance, the Meghalaya High Court has directed the two treasury officers in Meghalaya capital Shillong to track two bank cheques, which were meant for paying compensation to land owners over a hydro power project.
A single bench of the Meghalaya High Court headed by Justice Sudip Ranjan Sen passed the orders on Tuesday regarding the two missing cheques, which were issued on July and November of 1968 to one individual, whose land was acquired by the then Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) at lawbyrwa village near Sumer for the hydel power project known as Umiam stage II project. The ASEB undertook the project as the present Meghalaya was a part of undivided Assam till it became a state in 1972.
Upon hearing H. Nongkhlaw, the advocate for the petitioners, Justice Sen directed the Treasury Officers, Hubert Syiem and Tynshain Syiem to find out the details of the two cheques-Cheque No. OA/16-593936 dated 25.07.1968 for `2,95,966.76 and Cheque No. OA/17-601261 dated 13.11.1968 for `7946.14 and to track where these cheques are lying and to inform the court on the next date fixed.
The court will hear the case after four weeks time, the order said. The court has also asked the Chief Accounts Officer, ASEB, to track the records regarding the two cheques and submit before the court on its next hearing. It has been 47 years since the cheques were issued. “The Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) had acquired land at lawbyrwa village near Sumer for the Umiam stage II project in 1960s. The ASEB, which undertook the project then, had even issued compensation to the villagers whose lands were acquired for the project. However, the cheques were misplaced and the villagers till date have not received their compensation,” said Advocate H. Nongkhlaw, who fought for the petitioners.
It may be mentioned here that Advocate KS Kynjing, who represented the Meghalaya Electric Corporation limited (MeECl) during the hearing suggested that, the Chief Accounts Officer, ASEB, may be summoned to appear before the Court and to assist to trace out the missing cheques since the entire transaction was done during undivided Assam.