By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 15: West Shillong MLA Mohendro Rapsang on Wednesday told Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong that he was stiffly opposed to the idea of relocating the Harijan Colony residents to the RP Chest (TB) Hospital area in Mawbah.
He met Tynsong along with people of his constituency after the Rangbah Shnongs met him on the matter.
Rapsang said shifting the colony to Mawbah is not feasible as the population density in the area is high. “If we bring the people of one more colony to the area, things will become uncontrollable,” he warned.
Tynsong clarified that the government is just exploring the areas to where the residents of the colony can be shifted and nothing has been decided so far.
The state government has so far identified only one plot behind the Reid Provincial Chest Hospital, also known as TB Hospital, at Mawbah for the relocation. The Urban Affairs department is on the job of identifying more lands for the purpose.
The total area of the plot behind the RP Chest Hospital is being ascertained, he said.
The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) had recently said it was awaiting the government blueprint on the proposed relocation before contemplating its next move.
The HPC agreed to the relocation from Them Iew Mawlong provided the government gives 200 square metres of land for each family in the European Ward and also bears the full cost of the construction of their houses. Following the meeting with the HPC in April, Tynsong had instructed the Urban Affairs department to prepare a blueprint for the proposed relocation and share it with the residents of the Harijan Colony.
Dorbar against relocation move
The Mawbah Dorbar Shnong strongly opposed the state government’s bid to relocate the 342 families from Them Iew Mawlong to the TB Hospital.
In a statement issued here, the Dorbar expressed shock over the identification of Mawbah as a possible site for the relocation of the Harijan Colony residents.
Referring to a news item in The Shillong Times that the government is ascertaining a plot behind the TB Hospital to relocate the Harijans, the Dorbar clarified that the hospital falls within the jurisdiction of the “small” Mawbah locality with more than 12,000 people.
“…it is densely congested. How is it possible for the state to add another colony (there)? This Dorbar is against the decision of the state government,” the statement said.
The Dorbar referred to the shortage of water in the locality and said the added population would be detrimental to residents of the locality and would lead to chaos.
The Dorbar also said the added population would have far-reaching consequences on the TB Hospital patients.
The Shillong Cantonment Development Committee has also stated that the TB Hospital and its adjoining area fall within the West Shillong constituency and comes under the ambit of the Shillong Municipal Board and not Jhalupara, which falls within the cantonment area.
The committee added that Jhalupara, which falls in the South Shillong constituency, is under the administrative control of the Shillong Cantonment Board, Ministry of Defence.