SHILLONG: Following the election, the Meghalaya High Court has ordered the state government to address the matter of relocating the people of Harijan Colony from Them Lew Mawlong.
While it was previously stated on behalf of the state that many plots of land had been identified for the resettlement of the members of the first respondent body, the court has requested that the state government resolve the situation as soon as possible.
The matter's subsequent hearing will take place on March 17.
At a meeting on September 29, 2020, the state government delivered the plan to the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC). This stated its choice to build multi-story apartments within the Shillong Municipal Board's (SMB) current office complex in order to relocate the families.
The HPC's April 25, 2022, suggestion that each family in the European ward receive 200 square metres of land in addition to paying for the construction of their homes was flatly rejected by the government.
HPC secretary Gurjit Singh was upset that the government had rejected the organization's eight-point resolution after the conference.
The state government has been tasked by the court to make all reasonable efforts to find a solution as soon as possible following the election. It further stated that a peaceful resolution would be reached.
Residents of the Harijan Colony have been under pressure since a dispute between a Sikh woman and a Khasi tribal bus driver over the bus' allegedly difficult parking in the colony escalated into a racial altercation in May 2018. That ultimately resulted in a plan to evict the occupants.
Personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are still stationed at the entry and exit points of the 12,444.13-square-meter colony, which consists of rows of hovels flanking a road and is located next to Iewduh or Barabazar, Meghalaya's main commercial district.
Also Watch: