SHILLONG: The Harijan Panchayat Committee, Punjabi Harijan Colony has rejected the terms of reference of the High Level Committee constituted by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and asserted that relocation was not acceptable to them.
In a letter addressed to the chief minister on Sunday, Billu Singh, Headman, Harijan Panchayat Committee, South East Mawkhar, on behalf of the stakeholders of Punjabi Lane, informed that they do not accept the terms of reference of HLC.
The letter was also signed by the president of the City Gurdwara Management Committee (CGMC), Gurjeet Singh.
“While we welcome the chief minister’s efforts to find a solution to the issues faced by the stakeholders of Punjabi Lane, the Panchayat, CGMC and stakeholders of Punjabi Lane do not accept the relocation of the Punjabi Lane as a term of reference of the committee”, the headman said.
Singh also said that the stakeholders of the Punjabi Lane do not agree to be relocated.
Residents ask govt to develop area
“We request the Meghalaya government to draw up a plan to develop the Punjabi Lane that accommodates the rights and needs of the stakeholders”, the letter said.
According to Singh, on several occasions in the past, the stakeholders of Punjabi Lane had won cases in the High Court against the government’s move to evict or interfere with the rights of the stakeholders of Punjabi Lane.
The letter also pointed out that it was a matter of concern that the president of the City Gurdwara Management Committee (CGMC), Gurjeet Singh received a letter from Ricky Nelson Syiem, the Acting Syiem, Hima Mylliem, requesting him to be present at the Sweeper’s Colony on June 18 to participate in a ‘first hand survey’ of the Punjabi Lane. The hand-delivered letter issued on June 14 was addressed to Gurjeet Singh in his capacity as an official of the City Gurdwara Management Committee (CGMC).
The letter said that the survey was being done ‘before executing the directions of the High Level Committee to conduct another survey with the state government, Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council and others.
Pre survey held
However, police said on Monday from 10.45 am to 11.45 am, the Syiem of Hima Mylliem, a group of Hima Mylliem Myntris, accompanied by Gurjeet Singh, secretary and other leaders of Harijan Colony, Mawlonghat, conducted pre-survey of the Harijan Colony to familiarise themselves before a joint survey and inspection to be conducted by government, District Council and others.
According to Singh, 218 petitions filed by as many inhabitant families of the colony are still pending before the Syiem of Mylliem, “therefore, notice ought to also have been served to all these petitioners who are the stake holders in the colony”.
Though the survey notice issued on June 14 is addressed only to the Gurdwara, the local media had stated that the survey is of the whole colony, Singh said.
The committee also objected to the survey since “it was a rushed survey which will be incomplete and hence meaningless as it does not involve a survey of all the stake holders in Punjabi Lane”.
