Harijan Colony Issue: Meghalaya Govt to meet HPC on relocation from Sweepers’ Colony

Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 21: The state government has decided to soon invite the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) for discussion on the proposal to relocate the 342 families of Sweeper’s Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to the existing land of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).

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This came a day after the HPC had submitted its reply on the Meghalaya government’s blueprint and alleged that the proposal of the government was “incomplete, unsuitable, unprepared, unfair and undemocratic.”

A meeting was also convened by the deputy chief minister in-charge Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong in presence of deputy chief minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar with officials of the government to discuss the issue here today.

“First of all we have to study the reply (submitted by the HPC) and see what they have stated and based on that we will call a meeting,” Dhar told reporters while informing that likely the government will invite the HPC for discussion next week.

He said the meeting convened by Tynsong, who is also chairman of the high level committee (HLC), has discussed how to move forward on the matter.

On the HPC’s decision to stick with their original demand, Dhar however said, “They (HPC) have the right to demand whatever they want and as a government we will examine it whether it is feasible or not. That is the reason why negotiation and discussion is still going on.”

“We will see after discussion we will see what the next course of action is. It is not appropriate for me to tell on the next course of action,” he added.

Reiterating that negotiation is still on with the HPC, the deputy chief minister said, “Hopefully, there is a positive result between the government and them and (the matter) will end peacefully. We want them to work with the government.”

In a statement issued yesterday, HPC secretary Gurjit Singh had reiterated that, “our original demands presented in the “Eight-point resolution” still stand and we will not buckle under political duress merely because it is convenient for the government to do so and simply because due to passage of time, the land has become a commercial goldmine.”

On September 29, last year the state government had 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 completely 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.

The Harijan Panchayat Committee which, despite all odds, has been spearheading a battle for rights of the residents since the last three decades, has in its detailed reply to the government said that the disputed land belongs to the Syiem of Mylliem, and not to the government and any attempt by the government to buy it is in violation of the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act.

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.

Stories of a Shillong boy Part 1: Hill Boy and the Desert

There is a little 10 year old boy in Shillong who has a funny way of looking at things. I call him “Ray” – A named derived from his Khasi first name. I am his mother and this is one of the many stories I have about him.

Now Ray had an intense hate for two subjects in school – science and geography. I’m still drawing nonsensical circles around science, but I think I’ve cracked geography and a geography lesson is one of the most fun things we do together now. I want to talk about a lesson we did a little while ago.

In this lesson, we read about the Thar Desert. The book said something really scary to Ray. It told him that the desert is expanding because we cut down forests and let our cattle eat away all our grasslands. This really worried him. Before we could go on with the lesson, he said, “But I don’t want the desert to reach the Meghalaya.”

I looked at him and said, “It won’t.”

“But the book says that it will.” He insists. “I don’t want to live in a desert.”

I had to think for a bit. See Ray has this way of getting fixated on something and then he dwells on it – a reason why I tutor him myself by redoing every chapter that his teachers have taught in school. His head is full of questions that he would never ask in a classroom kind of space, but he would demand an answer out of me.

“It will not happen tomorrow Ray.” I said, “We’ll all be dead and gone by then. There is no need to stress.”

This did not put him at ease at all. He was worried. “I don’t want to live in India anymore if the desert is growing mei. We have to leave India.”

“There are deserts everywhere.” I said.

“This can happen all over the world?” he asked sounding completely helpless.

“Yes.” I said thinking of Mad Max Fury Road. “But it won’t happen anytime soon. It will probably happen during the time of your great great great great grandchild so you have nothing to worry about.”

This calmed him down for a little while and I was able to finish the lesson. He had his dinner after that, brushed his teeth and got into bed.

As I was tucking him in he said softly, “But I want my great great great great grand son or daughter to live also.”

And it suddenly struck me that even I want my great great great great great grandchild to live.

(This piece has been written by Dalariti Nongpiur with illustrations by Hazel Kharkongor)