SHILLONG: The acting Syiem of Hima Mylliem, Ricky Nelson Syiem, said the Hima is yet to conduct a hearing on the matter related to issuing pattas to Harijan Colony.
Earlier, Gurjeet Singh, the secretary of the Harijan Panchayat Committee and president of the Gurdwara Committee, said in 2015, the City Gurdwara Management Committee paid the required tax and the Syiem of Hima Mylliem regularised the pattas granted after hearing the committee.
However, Syiem said on Wednesday that after four pattas were given in 2009, the same were cancelled in 2010 without hearing the Gurdwara committee.
But the High Court had in 2011 referred the matter to the Syiem of Hima Mylliem for a fresh hearing of the Gurdwara Committee.
“There are no records of the hearing held on the matter with us,” Syiem said.
He, however, said after the joint survey by the Hima Mylliem, Municipal Board and the Survey officials of the state, hearing with the Gurdwara committee will be held.
Syiem said later in 2015, permission was given only to reconstruct the gurdwara. He added that there is no official record to show that permission was given to construct other structures.
He said in January 1954, the agreement was between the Syiem of Hima Mylliem, Jormanik Syiem, and the Shillong Municipal Board, while there was no agreement with the Gurdwara Committee.
The land at Sweepers’ Lane was given to the municipal in two parts through the 1954 agreement.
The Hima gave one part of the land to the Municipal Board for housing its employees and the other part was for the commercial complex that will be looked after by the board and the area allotted is plot A, which is around 21,837 sq ft and plot B is around 11,577 sq ft.
