SHILLONG:
The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) is yet to submit its reply to the government’s proposal for relocating the 342 families of Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong despite the government’s deadline which expired here on Monday.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters, “Officially we have not received (the reply of the HPC) yet…”
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 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 out rightly 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.