Relocation of residents from Them Iew Mawlong
SHILLONG, Jan 17: The Meghalaya government is pinning its hopes on securing 2-3 acres of land from the Defence authorities to facilitate the resettlement of residents from Harijan Colony at Them Iew Mawlong. However, if the land transfer does not materialise, the state government will proceed with the pre-determined blueprint for relocation of the residents.
The resolution of the Harijan Colony resettlement issue hinges on the decision of the Ministry of Defence regarding the land at Lum Survey, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters on Friday while adding that the Sikh community residing in the colony is open to the idea of resettling on the Defence land adjacent to their existing locality.
He said the state government has approached the Ministry of Defence with a request to transfer the required land.
“The matter is currently being examined by the Ministry, and we will wait for their response,” Tynsong stated, expressing optimism that the issue would be resolved swiftly if the Defence authorities agree to part with the land.
Asked what the government would do if the Defence authorities do not agree to part with the land, Tynsong said the government would fall back on the original blueprint for relocation of the residents. “We would have no other options apart from that,” he added.
Asked about the potential opposition from settlers regarding the dismantling of religious structures in the locality, Tynsong said that discussions had not yet reached that stage.
Over the years, the government had considered relocating them to government-owned land within the city, but the focus has now shifted to vacant land at Lum Survey, a location deemed acceptable by the settlers themselves.
The demand for relocating the settlers from Harijan Colony gained momentum following the violent clashes in 2018, which brought the area into the spotlight. In response, the government constituted a high-level committee to address the issue. The committee eventually recommended the relocation of the settlers to a new site.
The road connecting the locality, which had been closed for years due to tensions, was reopened for public use in November last year. However, police personnel continue to maintain a presence in the area to ensure peace and prevent any untoward incident.
