2nd round of border talks in October: CM

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 20: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today informed that the border talks with Assam for resolving the remaining six areas of difference will take place in the first week or second week of October.

Replying to a zero-hour notice moved by VPP MLA from Nongkrem Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit in the Assembly, Sangma said the Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was recently in Shillong for a function and held a closed-door discussion with him regarding the border issue.

“We had decided a few things in that meeting and we will formally take those decisions forward in the next official meeting to be held sometime in the first or second week of October,” he said.

Sangma said after the meeting that the chief ministers of the two states would also visit Khanduli and other areas to send the message of peace.

“I and the Assam chief minister intend to visit Khanduli and other areas and the exact locations, we are yet to finalise. We will have a meeting in that area to meet the concerned stakeholders and ensure we send a message of peace.”

He said that the meeting held in Shillong was very productive and both states are looking forward to implementing the important decisions taken in the upcoming meeting to be held in October.

Earlier, Basaiawmoit condemned the statement of the Karbi Students Association (KSA) that a Manipur-like situation may occur if they lose their land and said, “The statement made by the leader of KSA is sufficient enough to create disharmony in the border areas.”

He also wanted to know whether the state government has taken this matter with its counterpart in order to ensure the maintenance of harmony in the border area.

To this, the Chief Minister said while the regional committee meeting was still in progress on August 16, the Karbi Students Association (KSA) came to the venue and met the regional committee members after the meeting concluded.

Thereafter, the president of KSA appeared before the media and it was during the said briefing that the president stated that “a Manipur-like situation may occur if we lose our lands, warn KSA”.

He however said, “This matter was not entertained by the Assam Minister, Piyush Hazarika who rebuked the person stating that such a statement should not be made to aggravate the situation. The minister mentioned that the aim of the committee is to bring peace and harmony between the two communities and to find out the best possible solution to resolve the border issues.”

He informed that earlier on August 30, 2023, the Jaintia Students’ Movement and KSA held a meeting in Diphu, East Karbi Anglong District, Assam in which they discussed the parameters to bring peace and normalcy along the Assam-Meghalaya border.

During the meeting, the Students Committee for Peace Initiative was formed and the committee will work on how to bring back life to normal on the interstate border and ease the communal tension.

They had also decided that representatives of the two NGOs would visit the border villages along with village elders. Further, it was decided that a similar meeting will be convened in Jowai in the coming days.

The main purpose of the meeting is to find ways and means to end the turmoil in the border areas.

Stating that as of date, the situation in the area is under close watch, the chief minister assured that all efforts are being put into ensuring that law and order in the area will not be breached adding that the district police are on high alert and regular patrolling is being conducted in and around the area.

The police are also regularly meeting the village elders and the general public, appealing to them to maintain peace and tranquillity in the area.

He informed that sufficient force has been deployed in Khanduli, Lapngap, Saitsama Outpost and Nartiang police station to deal with the law and order situation in the area.

“Apart from these efforts, there is also constant communication and coordination with the counterparts of Assam to maintain law and order in the area and most importantly to ensure that normalcy in the area is not disrupted,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sangma informed the House that the government of the day is working tirelessly towards ensuring that peace and harmony prevail along the inter-state border, and the issue of border conflicts are resolved permanently.

He said one of the endeavours of the government of the day is the sanctioning of 7 border outposts which are the Rani-Jirang BOP in Ri Bhoi, Langpih BOP and Umwali BOP in West Khasi Hills, Mooriap BOP in East Jaintia Hills, Tihwieh BOP and Mukroh BOP in West Jaintia Hills.

The creation of these BOPs has greatly contributed towards the prevention of border conflicts and most importantly, has augmented the strength of police officials in the field.

Further, Sangma said that “the initiative of the government of the day to resolve the border disputes in six areas of difference during the first phase of border settlement and the ongoing second phase of border settlement between the two states, is a testament to the fact that the government of the day is committed to ensuring peace and tranquillity prevails in the border areas and that border disputes are resolved permanently”.

‘Confrontation’ will not resolve border issue: CM

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 14: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today said issues related to the long pending boundary dispute with Assam can only be resolved through discussion and dialogue but not through confrontation.

His statement came after the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) Laban Circle had threatened to close down the Karbi Hemtun (Guest House) if the Karbi people and Assam government continue to illegally encroach and harass Khasi people in West Jaintia Hills District.

The Karbi Hemtun was inaugurated jointly by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a function, Sangma said that confrontation is not the solution.

“We are in India and obviously we have to work and discuss matters and live in peace and harmony. There are challenges, there are complications which we have to work out but it cannot be worked out by confrontation. Solutions can only come with discussion and dialogue, with understanding and trust and hence we need to ensure that we build that trust with our counterparts, be firmed with our negotiations and our terms, find ways in which we can accommodate each other and obviously in important occasions like these, these are trust-building measures,” he said.

He added, “So tomorrow you want to put up a Meghalaya House in Assam or Guwahati and if somebody says well you cannot do it, I don’t think that is a trust-building mechanism.”

“Yes, I am not saying that there are no concerns, there are concerns but to resolve those concerns, confrontation is not the solution. We need to work together to build trust and in an amicable manner move forward and that is what the message was yesterday (during the inauguration of the Karbi House),” the CM said.

Meanwhile, Sangma informed that the chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya will finalise a firm program related to the second phase of border talks, in the next couple of days.

Court to decide on relocation from Sweepers’ Colony

Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar has informed that the state government has filed an affidavit before the Meghalaya High Court with regards to the proposal for relocating the 342 families of Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.
Dhar told reporters today that now the matter is left to the court to decide.

The minister said that the government will also sit in a few days and take a call on the matter.

According to him, this was after the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) had rejected the government’s proposal to relocate the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to the existing land of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).

Dhar however said that the government will always welcome the HPC if they want to discuss the matter.

On April 24, 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 HPC during the hearing held here.
The government had come up with a blueprint after rejecting 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.

In its recent 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 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.

HPC calls govt blueprint ‘unacceptable’

In a hard-hitting reply, sent today to the Government of Meghalaya’s blueprint for relocation of residents of Punjabi Lane, Shillong, the Harijan Panchayat Committee after multiple rounds of consultation with its members, has stated that the proposal of the government was “incomplete, unsuitable, unprepared, unfair and undemocratic.”

In an exhaustive 6-page reply sent to the Deputy Secretary of the Government of Meghalaya and to other concerned departments, the HPC letter reads, “There are serious lacunae, sweeping and undesirable conclusions in the approach and attitude of the High-Level Committee of the Meghalaya government.”

“We have attended meetings of the government in good faith but the government is resorting to misinformation and disinformation through the media and at the meetings, the only attitude is to overawe us into submission to their proposal. The language of the political leadership is one of intimidation. They are putting our lives and properties at risk and making us vulnerable,” said HPC secretary Gurjit Singh.

The HPC has strongly alleged that the “entire exercise is an ill-founded relocation theory, which actually compels the resident citizens of the Punjabi Lane (Harijan Colony) to forego their rights, title and interest over whatever small land portion in the colony and to accept the prisons cells like accommodation being offered in the proposed Blueprint.”

Speaking to the media, HPC secretary Gurjit Singh 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.”

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 violative of the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act.

With reference to the recent incident of 31 May 2018, the HPC has stated that “taking advantage of a stray case of discord, suddenly the “relocation theory” was resurfaced for political and vested interests. We have all the official documentation necessary to live as citizens at our ancestral land in Punjabi Lane.

The letter pointed out gaping holes in the government’s blueprint -area too small and proposed houses pigeonholes, official building guidelines violated, no roadmap of demolition of present structures, no public amenities and last but not the least no specification of title to the land and the houses.

“There are so many grey areas and gaps. The government must clarify about all such concerns and only then it can be taken up for consideration by the Harijan Panchayat Committee, without prejudice to our right to reject the proposal” stated Gurjit Singh while speaking to media personnel.

Deriding the government’s haste, the HPC remarked, “It has been held by the Supreme Court of India and other courts as well that the right to lead a dignified life is an inalienable right and provisions of housing cannot be such that it is inhabitable for residents to live there. In the light of such judicial pronouncements, the residents are entitled to a better resolution.”

In an earnest appeal to the government and people of Meghalaya, Gurjit Singh said, “the government must stop the witch hunt and allow us to build our houses and we can assure that the beauty of the area will be fully maintained and for this the residents have the full support of the Sikh community.”

“The residents of Punjabi Lane want to live with honour and dignity at the land of their forefathers and it would be improper to treat them as aliens. The solution to this should be peaceful, amicable, mutual and permanent, without trampling on our fundamental rights,” he added.

Them Iew Mawlong: HPC waiting for govt’s call

The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) has said that they are waiting for the state government to call for a meeting to discuss the issue related to the relocation of the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.

“We are waiting for the government’s call,” HPC secretary Gurjit Singh said.

He however refused to indicate if the committee would submit its reply on the government’s proposal.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong informed that the government would soon fix a meeting with the HPC to further sensitize them on the stand of the government and to also listen to their point of view on the matter.

“We are waiting for the return of the Deputy Chief Minister in-charge urban affairs as we want to convene a meeting with the HPC within this month,” he added.

Tynsong said that he is not aware if the HPC has sent any communication to urban affairs with regards to the reply to the government’s proposal.

On March 16, the state government set a deadline to the HPC for submitting its reply by April 10, with regards to the proposal for relocating of the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to the existing land of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).

The government had also turned down the request of the HPC to give another three months’ time to respond to the proposal.

The decision was also taken following an order of the Meghalaya High Court on February 16, asking the state government to immediately resolve the issue after the Assembly elections.

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.

HPC yet to reply to Govt’s relocation proposal

The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) is yet to submit its reply on the government’s proposal for relocating the 342 families of Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong despite the deadline served by the government has expired today.

“Officially we have not received (the reply of the HPC) yet,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters.

He however informed that the government may invite the HPC for discussion within this week.

“I have seen in the newspaper that they are going to meet us. Maybe this week itself, we will call and again discuss with them because we have already sent to them the blueprint so it is only a matter of decision to be taken by them as from the government side we have already presented to them all the details,” Tynsong said.

On March 16, the state government set a deadline for the HPC for submitting its reply by April 10, with regards to the proposal for relocating the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to the existing land of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).

The government had also turned down the request of the HPC to give another three months’ time to respond to the proposal.

The decision was also taken following an order of the Meghalaya High Court on February 16, asking the state government to immediately resolve the issue after the Assembly elections.

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.

HYC forces Karuna Trust to down shutters

Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 3: The office of the Karuna Trust located at Jylli Shop Shillong was closed down by members of Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) after the allegation that the organisation had terminated 13 ANM nurses from 11 Primary Health Centres (PHC) across the state.

Karuna Trust is an organization that works on behalf of the government to operate Primary Health Centres (PHC) in different parts of the state, especially in rural areas.

Speaking to media persons, the General Secretary of HYC Roykupar Synrem said that around 13 local ANM nurses were given a letter of termination by Karuna Trust and after enquiry, it was found that the termination was done as per the direction received through a letter from the state government.

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Synrem said that when the Karuna Trust had invited for the applicants to the post of Nurses, it had not put any criteria but now without explanation or without giving time, these 13 nurses were terminated from their services.

“The termination of these 13 ANM nurses is an instant termination, the Karuna Trust should give them ample time as it will affect many, especially those who have worked for more than 10-14 years,” said Synrem.

Synrem informed that as per information received from the Trust, it indicated that the termination was due to the fact that over 27 workers were unable to provide registration certificates proving that they are affiliated with the nursing council.

In this regard, Synrem stated that until and unless the officers-in-charge do not come and meet the HYC, the Karuna Trust will be under lock and key.