SHILLONG, April 27: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Wednesday said the state government should not accept the demand of the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) and evict the illegal settlers from Them Iew Mawlong as soon as possible.
The HPC had a few days ago asked the state government to allot 200 square metres to each of the 342 families as a condition for them to leave Punjabi Lane. The land sought in European Ward works out to about 10 acres.
“The demand of the HPC is highly unacceptable. How can the illegal settlers put such a condition? The demand should not be accepted,” KSU general secretary, Donald V Thabah told reporters.
Asserting that all the illegal settlers should be immediately evicted, he said such people should have been evicted from the area long ago.
“Both the government and the locals are very lenient, allowing these illegal settlers to continue to stay at Them Iew Mawlong,” he said.
Thabah said illegal settlers were being evicted all over India and cited the examples of Assam and Chandigarh.
He advised organisations in other parts of India and the globe to take the illegal settlers back to the place they came from if they are so concerned about them.
“They can provide these illegal settlers with whatever land they have demanded and build their houses. But this should be done outside the map of Meghalaya,” Thabah said.
He said the KSU will have to take some stringent steps if the government succumbs to the demand of the HPC.
The KSU general secretary also said the state government should relocate the government employees staying at Them Iew Mawlong to the quarters to be allotted to them.
“All the government employees should comply with the arrangement to be made by the government to relocate them from the area,” he said.
On the HPC’s claim of ownership of the land at Them Iew Mawlong, Thabah said the committee cannot make such a claim when they do not have the syrnod (certificate) from the Syiem of Hima Mylliem.
KSU president Lambokstar Marngar, who also sought the immediate eviction of the illegal settlers and the relocation of the government employees, questioned the proposal to prepare a blueprint for rehabilitating the Punjabi Lane residents.
“We strongly oppose any such proposal,” he said.
The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), too, has asked the state government not to yield to the HPC’s demand.
In a statement, FKJGP president Wellbirth Rani said the state government should act more aggressively to evict the Them Iew Mawlong settlers just like they did with poor farmers for occupying government land in the New Shillong Township in 2014-15.
“There will be a massive protest if the government takes a wrong decision. Why does the government need to compensate the illegal settlers instead of invoking various provisions of the law to initiate action against them?” he asked.
Pointing out that the state government had come up with the Meghalaya Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1980, he said this legislation should be used against the illegal settlers at Them Iew Mawlong.
