Meghalaya sets deadline for HPC to submit reply on Them Iew Mawlong issue

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 16: The state government has set a deadline for the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) to submit its reply by April 10, with regards to the proposal for relocating the 342 families of Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to the existing land of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).

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“We have already given the blueprint (on the government’s proposal) to them and we have given them time to reply till April 10,” Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar told reporters after taking a review of his department.

He said that the direction was taken after the HPC had sought for another three months’ time to respond to the government’s proposal.

“However, we have not agreed to their request and we have decided to give them till April 10, to reply to us,” Dhar said adding “After this only the high-level committee (HLC) will call a meeting to take a final decision on the matter.”

The deputy chief minister said, “We will hear first from their (HPC) side and after that we will be able to tell you what we should do and what we should not do. It is not advisable for me to tell now what we will do.”

On February 16, the Meghalaya High Court asked the state government to immediately resolve the issue after the Assembly elections.

“The State should make every endeavour, immediately after the election, to resolve the matter since it has been represented on behalf of the State on previous occasions that several parcels of land had been identified for the resettlement of the members of the first respondent body,” the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee had said in its order.

The bench had said that the matter has been adjourned for a considerable period of time on the joint representation of the parties that an amicable settlement will be arrived at.

On September 29, last year the state government presented the blueprint to the HPC during a meeting, which indicated its decision to construct multi-storey flats at the existing official quarters of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) for relocation of the 342 families.

The state government had outrightly rejected the April 25, 2022 proposal of the HPC that 200 square meters of land be provided to each of the 342 families within the European ward besides bearing the cost of construction of their homes.

After the meeting, HPC secretary Gurjit Singh expressed concern that the government had rejected its 8-point resolution.

“The government has instead come up with its own blueprint. Therefore, we will first study the blueprint, we will go back to the people of our community to discuss and take a collective decision then we will come back to the government,” he had said.

Meghalaya Govt to invite HPC for talks on Them Iew Mawlong issue

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 12: Meghalaya government has decided to invite the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) after the Assembly’s Budget session for discussion on the issue of relocating the residents of Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.

“We will invite them after the Assembly’s session and try to resolve the issue,” Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar said over phone.

Dhar said that he would also discuss the issue with the Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong before inviting the HPC for talks.

On February 16, the Meghalaya High Court has asked the state government to immediately resolve the issue after the Assembly elections.

“The State should make every endeavour, immediately after the election, to resolve the matter since it has been represented on behalf of the State on previous occasions that several parcels of land had been identified for the resettlement of the members of the first respondent body,” the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee had said in its order.

The bench had said that the matter has been adjourned for a considerable period of time on the joint representation of the parties that an amicable settlement will be arrived at. The next hearing on the matter will be held on March 17.

Elections to the 59 out of 60 Assembly seats concluded recently.

Meghalaya police breaks 50 year drug seizure record

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 10: Director General of Police LR Bishnoi today said the police have arrested 234 drug peddlers and drug users in 2022 and seized drugs worth over Rs 50 crore from them surpassing the state’s collective records of the past 50 years.

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The police seized over 7 kg of heroin worth over Rs 45.22 crore and over 27,000 bottles of cough syrup worth over Rs 1.38 crore last year, he said.

“We have arrested 234 drug peddlers and drug users which include 20 women last year and seized drugs worth over Rs 50 crore,” Bishnoi said.

The drugs seized include over 7 kg of heroin worth over Rs 45.22 crore and over 27,000 bottles of cough syrup worth over Rs 1.38 crore last year besides other items like ganja (nearly 4 tonnes), opium (over 600 gm), methamphetamine tablets (over 12,800 tablets), he said.

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The DGP said that the recovery in 2022 has surpassed the recorded seizure of the past 50 years in this hill state and 116 cases were registered.

He also said that there is an upward trend of arrest, seizure and registration of drugs related cases this year too.

“In the first 70 days, 80 people were arrested and heroin seized was over 3 kg, ganja seized was 140 kg, 60,000 tablets, 22,000 bottles of cough syrups and Rs 28 lakh cash,” he said.

The DGP informed that 25 per cent of the arrests made were of traffickers from other states which include Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur besides Punjab, Bihar and Bengal.

Repenting that many of the jailed drug peddlers and users got bail, Bishnoi said that delay in getting reports from the Forensic Laboratories resulted in their securing bail from the courts.

He also informed that the police department has formed a supervisory committee headed by SP (CID) to monitor drug-related cases to ensure speedy submission of chargesheets and cases do not fail.

Drug users increasing in Shillong says DGP; 5 caught red handed with heroin in Mawprem

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 10: Five persons including a woman were arrested in Shillong city for possessing heroin. Two operations were conducted at Lower Mawprem yesterday. One person was arrested with 5 soap boxes of heroin weighing 66.46 grams from the back gate of the KHADC office at the Mawprem area during the first operation.

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The police team also raided in the area of Lower Mawprem Lumsohphoh and seized 20 soap boxes containing heroin of 268.7 grams, 60 syringes and cash of Rs 6.87 lakh from the possession of two males and two females.

All have been arrested and the cases are under further investigation.

“Out of the four, one is a lactating mother. There is evidence of the involvement of the two ladies. They are very active as far as the supply of drugs is concerned,” Director General of Police (DGP) Dr LR Bishnoi told reporters today.

“Syringes are recovered. This indicates injecting drug users is increasing in Shillong. That is very dangerous as it can cause AIDS also. In every raid, 40-60 syringes are also recovered. This is a real cause of concern for all of us,” Dr Bishnoi said.