Relocation issue: Govt-HPC meeting fails to end deadlock

SHILLONG, April 29: A meeting between the state government and Harijan Panchayat Committee to resolve the relocation issue remained inconclusive on Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong stated that the government is still awaiting communication from the Government of India through the Defence Ministry on the state government’s plea for a plot of land to relocate the residents.
The state government had initially planned to relocate 342 families from Them Iew Mawlong to the Shillong Municipal Board premises on Bivar Road. However, the HPC demanded an allocation of 200 square meters of land to each family anywhere within the European Ward, which does not fall under the ambit of the Sixth Schedule.
In the interim, the state government acquired 12,444.13 square meters of land at Harijan Colony against a one-time payment of Rs 2 crore to the Hima Mylliem, which owns the land.
The land acquisition occurred through a tripartite lease deed involving the state government, the Syiem of Hima Mylliem, and the Shillong Municipal Board and was signed in March 2021.
Chair Secretary DP Wahlang recently indicated that the state government is mulling a new proposal to allot defence land adjacent to Harijan Colony for the relocation of the 342 families.
A formal letter has been sent to the Defence Secretary, and a high-level meeting between Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and the Union Defence Minister is likely to take place shortly.