Meghalaya Sets December Deadline for Relocation of Harijan Colony

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya government plans to relocate all 342 families at Harijan Colony by the end of 2024. Minister for Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar revealed that a report on relocation is readied.

A final decision is expected either by November or December this year. It has also been mentioned that land for relocation has been prepared following the original plan.

There are still talks of using defense land in the locality, which would mean that Harijan Colony families can be shifted there and therefore no necessity for government land.

The Harijan Panchayat Committee has recently rapped the state government for not doing much and coming out with plans to bulldoze a Gurdwara and temple situated in the locality. Initially, the government had planned to relocate the families to a 3.54-acre site located on Shillong Municipal Board land.

In March 2021, the state government acquired 12,444.13 square meters of land in Harijan Colony for Rs 2 crore. Secretary DP Wahlang suggested that the families could be shifted to nearby defense land. The state government then formed a High-Level Committee, which, finally made the recommendation after violent clashes in 2018 made the relocation of families an urgent matter.

Last Tuesday, Meghalaya Chief Secretary DP Wahlang said that it would consider giving an area on one side of the Harijan Colony to house there for 342 families to be shifted.

He said this after a meeting between him and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee along with the Save Shillong Sikhs.

To preserve the historic Gurdwara while making it self-sufficient for this reason, such land acquisition should also lower govt expenditure.

The shifting process, however, hasn't been kept in the backburner but the government is holding things as it is for now and clutches onto this new land option, asserts Wahlang.

The Defence Secretary has also been informed about land allotment and a high-level meeting between the Chief Minister and the Union Defence Minister may take place soon.

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