SHILLONG, June 15: Just days after the state government submitted before the High Court of Meghalaya that Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) has agreed, in principle, to the blueprint prepared by the government for relocation of 342 families from Them Iew Mawlong, albeit with certain modifications, the committee on Thursday maintained that they had never agreed to the blueprint in toto and that their stand was misrepresented in the court.
Sources from HPC, on the condition of anonymity, told The Shillong Times on Thursday that they had agreed to the relocation plan prepared by the Urban Affairs Department on the condition that all the residents are allowed to stay together in any suitable location in the European Ward. They had also demanded land measuring 200 square metres (approximately 2,150 sq.ft.) for each family.
The sources said the HPC never officially agreed to the relocation blueprint and their lawyers would make the necessary clarification before the high court during the next hearing.
None from the state government, including Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong who is the head of the high-level committee overseeing the relocation move, agreed to speak on the matter. Office-bearers of the HPC are also maintaining a stony silence on the latest development.
The sources also revealed that a delegation of the All India Gurudwara Committee met Tynsong on Wednesday and held closed-door discussions with him.
Government officials and HPC members were unwilling to comment on the nature of discussions at the meeting, saying they were not privy to the details.
During the last hearing, when the state government had submitted before the court that the HPC has agreed to the relocation move with certain modifications, the high court had expressed hope that the concerned parties will now resolve the long-pending issue and give a quietus to these matters.
It may be mentioned that the Urban Affairs Department, in its blueprint had proposed construction of 30-40 flats in 12 blocks on a 2.5 acre plot of land on the Shillong Municipal Board office premises to be allocated to the people whose names have already been submitted in the high court.
The government would demolish the existing buildings as they are not strong and reconstruct the units for which the necessary instructions have been issued, the department had stated.
