Harijan Colony relocation hangs fire as yr nears end; groups seek answers

SHILLONG, Dec 10: The Khasi Students’ Union and the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People are unhappy over the state government’s failure to fulfil its commitment to relocate the “illegal settlers” from Them Iew Mawlong by the end of this year.
The two pressure groups maintain that the government is very lenient with the settlers and accused it of trying to buy time by claiming that Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma will be meeting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss the possibility of getting the defence land adjacent to the Harijan Colony to relocate them.
KSU general secretary, Donald V Thabah told The Shillong Times that the union considers the relocation issue pending since 1996, unlike the general perception that it cropped up in 2018.
“Precious lives were lost during the protest to relocate the illegal settlers in 1996,” he said.
He reminded the National People’s Party-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA-1) government that it promised to relocate the Harijan Colony residents in 2018 after many people got injured.
“Now we have the same dispensation (MDA-2) but till now, it has not been able to decide despite being in the government for the second consecutive term,” Thabah said.
He said the government ignored the sentiments of people who have been waiting for the past many years to see that the settlers are relocated. He attributed the government’s inability to fulfil its commitment to external pressure.
“We are not sure if the government would be able to meet the Defence Minister for the allocation of the defence land for the relocation,” the KSU general secretary said.
FKJGP president Dundee Cliff Khongsit questioned the delay in relocation when the government decided to shift the residents to the site opposite the office of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).
“There should not be any more delay. We strongly condemn the state government for its soft stand,” he said.
He said the government should not entertain the people who have occupied Them Iew Mawlong for decades.
The Meghalaya government initially proposed relocating the families to the premises of the SMB at Bivar Road, allocating 2.14 acres of land and an additional 1.4 acres.
However, the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) demanded that each family be allocated 200 square meters of land within the European Ward, which does not fall under the Sixth Schedule.
In the interim, the government acquired 12,444.13 square meters of land at Harijan Colony for a one-time payment of Rs 2 crore to Hima Mylliem, the traditional owner of the land.
This acquisition was formalised through a tripartite lease deed signed in March 2021 among the state government, the Syiem of Hima Mylliem, and the SMB.
Chief Secretary DP Wahlang recently revealed that the government is considering a new proposal to allocate the defence land adjacent to Harijan Colony for the relocation of the 342 families. He confirmed that a formal letter has been sent to the Defence Secretary, and a high-level meeting between the Chief Minister and the Defence Minister is expected to take place soon.
The demand for relocation gained momentum after violent clashes erupted in the area in 2018. Following these incidents, the Meghalaya government formed a High-Level Committee, which recommended relocating 342 families after examining the matter thoroughly.