SHILLONG, April 13: The State government on Wednesday assured the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) that it would make efforts to relocate 342 families from Harijan Colony at Them Iew Mawlong to the European Ward provided residents give their consent to the same.
Stating that the government has candidly told the members of the HPC that the relocation has to take place as per the recommendation made by the High-Level Committee (HLC), Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said, “Alternative places for their relocation are also being considered by the government. If they cannot be relocated to one place they might be resettled in different areas.”
“I have told them to take back this information to the residents and come back to the government. This is as per the observation made by the High Court which wants the resettlement to happen at the earliest before proceeding further with the case,” he added.
Informing that the second meeting with HPC will be held on April 25, Tynsong said currently the state government is on the job to identify the places. “Once the Shillong Municipal Board and the Urban Affairs department, who have been directed to identify the land, submit their reports I will be in a position to reveal the exact areas,” he said.
Meanwhile, HPC Chairman, Gurjit Singh said, “There are a total of 342 families and the government has agreed to accommodate them within the European Ward. I told them that we will discuss with the residents and during our next meeting on April 25 we will tell the government what the residents have decided.”
“We have been staying here for so long but they are saying it has become congested. The government and the locals want us to be shifted since the government does not want any repeat of the past incidents,” he added.
Asked if they are ready to relocate, Singh said, “I cannot say anything now as I will have to take all the stakeholders on board. They have to agree. Once that is done it will be made known to all.”
He also said that this is the first-ever meeting between the government and the HPC since the HLC was formed in 2018. He pointed out that since the High Court had observed that they should try to resolve the issue through dialogue they were ready to discuss the matter and find an amicable solution.
