SHILLONG, Oct 12: Senior BJP leader and former minister, AL Hek said the residents of Harijan Colony in Shillong should agree to shift base if the state government is making proper alternative arrangements.
“If the government has arranged all accommodations, they should agree but if they are not going to get proper facilities, I myself will also not agree,” Hek said on Tuesday.
He said beautifying the area and ensuring proper facilities and accommodations to the employees are equally important.
The issue has also evoked reactions among leaders and organisations from outside the state but Hek requested them to see the ground reality. He said no community is being “suppressed” as often projected by some people.
The government said it would take possession of the land within a week’s time by following “due procedures”.
The state Cabinet recently discussed the report of the High Level Committee (HLC). The Committee had given a presentation on the report and its recommendations before the Cabinet.
Detailed discussions were held at the meeting on the genesis of the case, challenges and various events that took place in the past three years.
The HLC made three recommendations, including the issue of ownership of the land. The government and the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) have signed the agreement to take possession of the land from the Syiem of Hima Mylliem.
The HLC suggested that the permanent employees of the SMB, who are staying in Harijan Colony, should be shifted to the SMB quarters at Bishop Cotton Road.
The Committee asked the Urban Affairs department to work out a plan and submit a proposal before the Cabinet for relocation of non-government employees from the colony.
The Harijan Panchayat Committee has rejected the HLC’s recommendations and asserted that the people are willing to die but will not relocate. It pointed out that the matter is sub-judice and hence, the government’s move to take possession of the land is illegal.