SHILLONG:
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Tuesday said the matter of relocation of residents of Them Iewmawlong could end up in court for a final verdict if the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) demands more than the government can accommodate.
Tynsong said the state government is preparing a blueprint of the proposal to relocate all 342 households to its revenue land.
“This is a genuine case that is why we are so open, but of course if your demand is for heaven, maybe it is beyond our consideration,” he told reporters.
“We will prepare the blueprint and send it to them (HPC). If they reject we have to meet in the court. If they reject the packages offered by us (government) then we can’t help it. We will have to fight and ultimately let the court decide,” Tynsong said.
After a meeting convened by the state government on Monday, the HPC had informed that they have agreed to relocate from Them Iew Mawlong on conditions that the government should provide 10 acres of land within the European Ward besides bearing the cost of construction of their homes.
Tynsong also made it clear that the package to be offered is only for 342 families and not beyond that.
Urging the people not to forget the contribution of the Harijans, the deputy chief minister said, “Please don’t forget the biggest contributions made by these people. That time when we say we don’t have septic tanks, we had only service latrines, who were there to clean everything. So, we need also to respect, we need also to appreciate the contributions made by these people.”