By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 10: VPP legislator Adelbert Nongrum has asked the NPP-led MDA 2.0 government to leave the issue of relocating the Mazhabi Sikhs and other Dalit residents from Them Iew Mawlong if it is not ready to take tough decisions.
“I fail to understand why the state government is trying to be so accommodative. Leave this issue if you cannot handle it and let the VPP deal with them when it comes to power,” Nongrum, also the local MLA, said here on Sunday.
He said the VPP will do the right things if the party is voted to power.
Nongrum, who represents the North Shillong constituency, said the state government was supposed to relocate 184 families, including 128 of employees of the Shillong Municipal Board and other government departments.
How did the number of families to be relocated increase to 342, he asked.
“We strongly opposed the government’s proposal to allot an additional 1.4 acres of land in the European Ward behind Raj Bhavan to accommodate these 342 families. How can these illegal settlers dictate terms to the state government? Why is this government not acting by using its power?” the VPP legislator asked.
Nongrum said it is sad that the state government has bowed down to the demands made by the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC).
He said he had a plan to agitate after the HPC refused to comply with a court directive to relocate them in May but could not go ahead because the demand to review the reservation policy had come up during that time.
Nongrum felt the fresh move of the government to relocate the Harijan Colony residents could have been drawn up with an eye on the upcoming elections to the district councils and the Lok Sabha.
“We may recall that the MDA 1.0 had done the same thing by trying to convey that the government is serious about relocating the illegal settlers from Them Iew Mawlong. But nothing was done,” he said.
After a meeting with the HPC recently, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said: “We are resolving the issue but it is not appropriate to reveal (the details) now as there will be another meeting in January, which I am sure will be conclusive.”
Representatives from the Delhi Gurdwara Committee participated in that “positive” meeting, he said.
Some concerns aired by the Sikh settlers would be the focus of the meeting in January, he added.
Tynsong said one of the points discussed was adding 1.4 acres to the 2.14 acres of land in the blueprint for the relocation. Without revealing much, he said the discussion revolved around the size of the plot, its approach road, space for children to play, etc.
“We are hopeful that the relocation issue will be solved by the second week of January 2024,” he said.
Happy with the meeting, HPC secretary Gurjit Singh said he would seek the views of the members of the 342 families of Harijan Colony and respond to the state government.
“We are satisfied with the modified blueprint but there are still some points to be discussed with people in the locality,” he said.