‘All depts should provide staff with quarters’

SHILLONG: North Shillong MLA Adelbert Nongrum on Tuesday asked the various state departments employing people from Sweepers’ Colony (Them Iew Mawlong) to take responsibility of their staff and provide them residential quarters.
Alternatively, the genuine residents of the colony may be relocated in the Cantonment area which has ample space, he suggested.
Nongrum came up with the suggestions during his meeting with Deputy Chief Minister and Chairman of the High Level Committee (HLC), Prestone Tynsong on Tuesday.
Later, speaking to reporters, he said, “We are not evicting but relocating them to another place. People usually face harassment while negotiating the Sweepers’ Colony.”
“The relocation would de-congest the area which has become a crime hub. Beautification of the area will pave the way for developmental activities,” he added.
He said that a facelift of the entire area can be done after the relocation and developmental activities can happen immediately.
Nongrum criticised the interference of organisations and delegations from other states and stated that Meghalaya should be left alone to resolve the issue on its own.
When asked to comment on the reaction of the Sweepers Colony residents who shut their doors when the recent survey was carried out, he said, “We need the cooperation of the residents. The government through the HLC had instructed the concerned department to conduct the survey. It was not illegal.”
Ease traffic congestion
Nongrum requested Tynsong, who is also the PWD minister, to conduct a joint inspection of the approach road starting from Dreamland to Wahingdoh community hall and going towards Polo to find ways to ease traffic congestion on the road.
He added that smooth flow of traffic on the said road would be necessary ahead of the 2022 National Games and also would be in line with the Smart City project.