SHILLONG, Oct 24: The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) has expressed readiness to contest the decision of the state government to challenge any order issued by different commissions for maintaining status quo on the relocation of Harijan Colony residents from Iew Mawlong.
“We are ready to contest. If it is not our right, we will go away from here but we will fight for our right and our people,” HPC general secretary, Gurjit Singh said on Sunday.
Earlier, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma had stated that the state government was ready to challenge any order issued by different commissions for the maintenance of status quo on the issue.
The National Commission for Minorities had recently directed the state government to maintain status quo. A similar order was passed by the High Court of Meghalaya on April 9 this year.
Pointing out that the February 15, 2019 High Court order clearly states that a solution will be arrived at through a title suit and by means of filing a civil suit, Singh said, “The HLC came up with its recommendations without the title suit.”
( “The HLC should have been dissolved at that time and a title suit filed,” he said.
Reacting to the CM’s assertion that the HLC had given the residents opportunities time and again to submit documentations to prove their claim but they did not show up, Singh said, “The Deputy Chief Minister has given a wrong recommendation through the HLC that he gave us an opportunity to prove our claim.”
“If he has given us an opportunity to submit documents or letters, then show us the letter and give us a copy. It will prove when we received it,” he said.
The HPC general secretary said the government is working confidentially and no one, including the media, knew about the HLC recommendations and the tripartite agreement signed among the Syiem of Hima Mylliem, the Urban Affairs department and the Shillong Municipal Board.
“But we are asking through RTI applications as we are also stakeholders and have the rights,” Singh said, adding, “It’s not a claim. The agreement we had cannot be superseded.”
