Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 25: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong has stated that the government’s focus is on the implementation of the roster system.

ALSO READ: Sr. Advocate V.G Kynta parts ways with Meghalaya BJP

“The duty of the government is to again revisit and study properly about the roster system and we are on the job,” Tynsong told reporters today.

Informing that an all-party meeting will also be convened next month to discuss the roster issue, the deputy chief minister however said, “Before doing that, we will have a detailed discussion in the Cabinet and we will have a detailed discussion with the MDA partners.”

When asked on the demand for reviewing the state reservation policy, Tynsong said, “Amendment does not arise. This is not the Act, it is only a policy and this policy has been initiated and started right from 1972.”

“I even saw one political party demanding that we should have a special session which is not at all needed except if we intend from the government to amend the Act, the existing Act, the highest authority to agree to the amendment is the legislative assembly,” he added.

Further, Tynsong said, “Just demanding that we have to review the reservation policy is not as simple as that. So when you talk about roster system, yes, now the government is seriously examining this issue and once that is done Cabinet will sit down, MDA will sit down and then ultimately we will invite all political parties and we will invite also all the stakeholders in one go where we will explain exactly what is a roster system and how is it taking effective is it retrospective or is it prospective.”

The deputy chief minister said that right now the concern of the stakeholders and the people of the state is about the roster system that it should be implemented prospectively not retrospectively adding that “I think that is the main core issue. I have seen quite a number of NGOs in the state who demanded the same thing.”

Referring to the stand of the VPP on the issue, Tynsong said, “VPP (as) you know they keep aside the roster system and their priority is reservation policy and reservation policy right now as I said to you I will not say anything because now the focus of the government is on roster system.”

Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 25: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong maintained that relocation of the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong has to take place.

ALSO READ: Meghalaya BJP proposes new Secretariat at Tura

“If you ask me whether the government will go ahead with the proposal, the proposal is very clear as I said to you from day one relocation has to take place whatever you say,” Tynsong told reporters.

His statement came after the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) had rejected the government’s proposal to relocate the 342 families of Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to the existing land of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).

Tynsong said the HPC has made its stand very clear in its reply submitted on April 20 that “they don’t accept the blueprint presented by the government to them. That is the case right now.”

The deputy chief minister said that all documents are being studied by the advocate general and very soon the government will sit to discuss the matter.

On Monday, the Meghalaya High Court had deferred the hearing on the issue to June 7.

The order was passed by the division bench based on the request made by the state government and the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) during the hearing held here.

“At the request of the parties, let the matter stand over for six weeks. List on June 7, 2023,” the bench had said in its order.

In its 6-page reply sent to the Deputy Secretary of the Government of Meghalaya and other concerned departments, the HPC had alleged that the government’s proposal was “incomplete, unsuitable, unprepared, unfair and undemocratic.”

The reply also came after the deadline issued by the state government had expired 10 days ago.

The HPC had also stated in its reply that “There are serious lacunae, sweeping and undesirable conclusions in the approach and attitude of the High-Level Committee of the Meghalaya government.”

“We are absolutely devastated that since the formation of the new government, ministers, MLAs and certain groups have been making unnecessary remarks saying that the whole issue would be resolved within the month of April. What magical trick do they have up their sleeve to resolve the issue within days?  The matter is sub-judice and they are only paying lip service to respect for the judiciary. We will not buckle under political duress,” it had also added.