Relocation of Harijan Colony residents to take time: SMB

SHILLONG, Dec 26: The relocation of the staff of Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) from Harijan Colony at Them Iew Mawlong will begin after the civic body shifts its office temporarily to Lumpyngngad cottage near the Chief Secretary’s official residence at Bishop Cotton Road, followed by the renovation of the staff quarters at the present temporary office.
A senior SMB official said on Sunday that the shifting of the office will start from January next year, phase-wise.
According to him, the SMB will need to renovate its present temporary office opposite Sherwood Bungalow following shifting. The official said the staff quarters have to be renovated as the board had to dismantle some partitions to have an office.
“We will again reconvert them into residential places. We will try to complete the renovation at the earliest,” he said.
The official further stated that the exercise of shifting the staff will begin after the staff quarters are renovated. The state government will allot quarters to 128 employees.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong had stated that the “illegal settlers” at Them Iew Mawlong may come under the purview of the Meghalaya Public Premises (Eviction or Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1980 as the state government will enforce the Act once all the employees of the SMB and other departments of the state government are shifted from the area.
The state government had earlier taken over the land at Them Iew Mawlong, measuring about 12,444.13 square metres, after executing a tripartite lease deed whereby it paid a premium of Rs 2 crore on October 29 to the Syiem of Hima Mylliem.
The lease deed was signed among the government, the Syiem of Mylliem and the SMB after the state Cabinet had accepted the recommendations of the Tynsong-headed High-Level Committee.