By WL Lyngdoh
Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) has a long history dating back to 1878, when Shillong and its suburbs were constituted into a Station under the Bengal Act, 1876. The then Suburbs of Shillong comprised of (1) Mawkhar (which included South-east Mawkhar, Jaiaw, parts of Jhalupara and Mawprem) and (2) Laban (comprising of Lumparing, Madan Laban, Kenche’s Trace and Rilbong). The inclusion of Mawkhar and Laban with the Shillong Station was agreed upon by (L) Hain Manik Syiem of Hima Mylliem, under Agreement dated November 15, 1878 on the condition that the administrative powers of the Syiem and Municipal areas are not affected. Further, the Shillong Station on March 10, 1909 was upgraded and converted into a Municipality, under the Bengal Act, 1884 with the inclusion of Haneng Umkhrah. Around this time, Shillong was the only hill station of the British Government and the Lieutenant Governor was bestowed with powers to step in for Sanitary Management. Shillong was well maintained in terms of cleanliness, cleaning of roads, garbage collection, etc. Water supply with clean drinking water was arranged through pipe system from Malki-Crinoline water source to the Shillong Municipal areas. Owing to its greenery and cleanliness, Shillong earned the status of being the cleanest hill station of India. With its picturesque landscape, Scotland was comparable to it and it was coined as the “Scotland of the East” and it was the first hill station in the country where senior British officials and their families settled.
Further, in order to uphold the status of being the cleanest hill station of India, 10 municipal boards, including Mawkhar and Laban were constituted on November 15, 1910 and they were Laitumkhrah, European Quarters, Jail Road, Haneng Umkhrah, Police Bazar, Mawkhar, Jhalupara, Mawprem, Laban and Malki for proper management of solid and liquid waste.
It was in the year 1930 that the British government realised that they needed the help of the local prominent leaders in the SMB and appointed (L) Wilson Reade (1930-34) as Vice-Chariman of SMB who was also the first Khasi to be appointed to this post. The second Khasi to be appointed was (L) Henderson G Phillip Shabong (1935-37) followed by (L ) Theodore Cajee (1942-44). After India’s independence, in 1947, there was a strong advocacy by (L) JJM Nichols Roy, Member of the Constituent Assembly, Government of India, for special protection of Tribal lands in North-East. The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India became a landmark in Indian history with (L) Nichols Roy as the chief architect. But under the umbrella of the Sixth Schedule, expansion of Shillong Municipality was opposed by the Syiem of Mylliem to protect the tribal lands which were under the care of the Heads of Traditional Institutions. Assam Municipal Act, 1956, which was adopted as Meghalaya Municipal Act, 1973 with minor changes was incorporated in 1974 Re-Organisation of the 10 wards of the SMB into 27 Wards, in an area covering about 25 sq Km. At present the Municipal Wards are Laitumkhrah Ward No. 1,2,3 and 4, Malki Ward 5 and 6, European Ward 7 and 8, Police Bazar -9, Jail Road -10 and 11, Mawkhar -12 and 13, Jaiaw 14-16, SE Mawkhar -17 and 18, Mawprem -19-21, Kenches Trace -22 and 23, Laban – 24 and 25 and Lumparing 26-27.
The hillock in Jail Road belongs to SMB from the time of British rule in the Assam province covering the whole of North-Eastern states, East Bengal (Bangladesh today) and West Bengal and it comprises an area of about 2 acres. I would like to highlight that during my tenure in the year 2005 when I was the CEO of SMB, a plan with an estimate had been initiated with the help of Engineers of the Directorate of Urban Affairs, Meghalaya, to construct a 4-storied SMB building in Jail Road. The plan was prepared for G + 3 Building within the government prescribed norms according to area coverage as per details below.
Basement and Ground floor – Parking Lot
First and Second Floor – Shopping Mall
Third Floor – SMB office complex.
In view of financial constraints, the Plan and Estimate of the proposed SMB Building was processed with a PPP (Public Private Partnership) model. In the PPP model, it was proposed that SMB and the private party will contribute 50 % each besides government grants and loans. The time frame for the project was 2007-2010 and handing over of the building on completion will be during the last part of the year 2010 for operational processes by the SMB. Share of the net income revenue receipts will be 50 % to the Board and 50 % to the private party. The cost of investment of the private party including interests will be worked out for the required number of years subject to a maximum of 10 years from the date of handing over the building on completion. The period for liquidation of private party investment will be arrived at, in consultation with the private party concerned.
I was left astonished and shocked when I came across the letter to the Editor in this newspaper ( ST April 6, 2021, under the caption “Subversive deals on Government land” by D. Surong stating that the newly under construction SMB Building and property does not belong to SMB anymore and that it is owned by a private party. If this turns out to be true then it is quite unfortunate and very sad to learn that the proposal supported by the then government to lease out the Municipal land to the private party has led to a complete sell-out of the SMB property. The MDA Government may intervene and contest if required, to revive the ownership of the property of the SMB in the hillock of Jail Road Shillong.
(The author is former CEO, SMB)