SHILLONG: UDP senior working president, Bindo Lanong has said that the Akali Dal and Harijan leaders should see reason to resolve the current conflict by accepting the government’s relocation proposal.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Lanong said the Akali Dal delegation from Punjab, the local Harijan body and others supporting the demand of the Harijan community of Them Mawlong Hat Colony for rehabilitating the community in the area where they have been occupying for ages, should better see reason to accept the relocation proposal of the government.
“They should amicably resolve the conflict with local NGOs, once and for all, rather than fight a losing battle, since they are the holders of municipal workers’ status till date,” Lanong said.
According to the senior UDP leader, their claim of being permanent settlers in the colony afforded to them by the then British officers and the chief of Mylliem state should remain part of history, “for not withstanding anything, almost everything of the British regime in India stood simultaneously lapsed and invalidated by the Indian Independence Act 1947”.
“At some point of time, the successive Syiems of Mylliem had renewed the pattas of settlers, which again suffers from legal hurdle,” Lanong said.
“Syiem being a traditional head of a Khasi state, reserves no personal right over the community land, all belonging to the state and its subjects and “any transfer, lease or land deeds issued to persons not from the above category is deemed void ab-initio”, he said.
He further said the Land Transfer Act, 1971 bars alienation of tribal land, thus sealing any option in favour of the settlers, which no authority — executive or judicial — can come to their rescue in such a given situation.
According to Lanong, the recent incident in the vicinity of the colony, was a trifling one, which sparked off into a law and order problem, paralysing life in Shillong and reviving the old demand of shifting the colony from the present Mawlong Hat commercial area.
“The government had to consider the question of relocating the colony and subsequently the NGOs and other agitators conditionally reciprocated by calling off the agitation temporarily,” he said.
“As a matter of fact, Iewduh (Barabazar) being the oldest and biggest commercial area in the state, has been sorely ignored, left to fend for itself, with no civic amenities it deserves in and around the market contours. What is urgently required is the expansion of approach road, parking lots, lanes and bylanes for traders, vendors and the public in general”, he said.
The UDP leader said the surging demand for clearance of the Harijan colony is mainly for want of accommodation, among other issues.
He reminded that the Centre has a number of laws, for instance The Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, The Land Acquisition and Requisition) Act and all the states have similar urban development laws and land acquisition laws.
“Within the purview of such laws, every now and then, in many metros, cities and townships, residential areas and settlements are acquired, multi-storied buildings razed to the ground for expansion of highways, roadways, movement of pedestrians and traffic. But rehabilitation package is provided to genuine victims in accordance with the law”, he said.
The former deputy chief minister said in the present stand-off between the agitators and the settlers of Mawlong Hat colony, the civil administration, including district council and the Syiem of Mylliem, should look for a permanent solution of this contentious issue, while good sense of all concerned should prevail, keeping the socio-legal and humanitarian aspects into account.
