Celestine questions delay in construction of Patharkhmah civil subdivision building

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 19: Opposition Congress legislator from Umsning Celestine Lyngdoh today expressed concern over the delay in the fencing and construction of the building for the Patharkhmah civil subdivision.

Taking up the issue during the question hour in the Assembly, Lyngdoh said the land has been donated to the government when Patharkhmah was just an administrative unit.

However even after 15 years have passed, not a single pillar has been erected by the government.

“Due to this, there is encroachment and the land donated to the government (for the purpose) is reducing on a day-to-day basis,” he said while urging the government to erect pillars if not fencing at the earliest.

He said that the officers are attending office only twice a week.

“Therefore, we request the government to ensure proper fencing and proper building for the civil subdivision is constructed at the earliest,” he said.

In his reply, Minister in-charge General Administration Rakkam A Sangma said 11.864 acres of land was donated to the government for construction of the building of the civil subdivision.

He however said the Patharkhmah civil subdivision is temporarily functioning from the office of the SDO, PHE.

The proposal for permanent building and fencing has been initiated by the department,” 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.