SHILLONG:
The state government has yet again postponed the proposed meeting with the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) for discussion on the relocation of residents of Harijan Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to next week.
The government had recently informed the Meghalaya High Court of its decision to invite the HPC for discussion on the matter on either November 15 or November 16.
“We planned (to invite them) this week, but it seems some of their (HPC) members are not free. Therefore, we have decided to call them next week,” Deputy Chief Minister in-charge, Urban Affairs, Sniawbhalang Dhar said.
Dhar also expressed confidence that the upcoming meeting will be a fruitful one. “We are trying towards that only (resolving the issue). So hopefully the next meeting will be a fruitful one,” he said.
To a question, the deputy CM said the HPC had expressed that the size of the rooms proposed by the government is too small. “Therefore, we will listen to their request and opinion in the next meeting and we will decide accordingly,” he added.
According to him, everything will be cleared once the meeting is held.
On September 29, the Meghalaya government had also informed the high court that it had agreed to increase the individual plot sizes as requested by the residents .
It may be mentioned that the government in its blueprint has proposed to relocate the 342 families to existing land of the Shillong Municipal Board.
On November 8, the high court had decided to allow the parties to meet as proposed by the state government with a direction that a report on the outcome of the meeting should be submitted to the court in the next hearing to be held in the first week of next month.
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.
On August 31, 2022, the state government announced its decision to construct housing flats at the 2.5 acres of land belonging to the SMB for relocation of the 342 families.
“Now we will demolish the old units and accordingly construct a flat system of 5 or 7 stories as per Meghalaya Development Urban Authority (MUDA) byelaws,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had then informed.