The Meghalaya government has sanctioned Rs 2 crore to pay as a one-time premium to the Hima Mylliem for taking possession of the plot of land at Them Iew Mawlong, where the Sweeper’s Colony is presently located.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Thursday said that the government is taking steps according to the recommendations made by the High-Level Committee (HLC).
“And the first step right now is that the government has to immediately take possession of that plot of land for which an agreement was already signed between the Syiem of Hima Mylliem and the government of Meghalaya,” he added.
Asked when the government is likely to take over the land, Tynsong, who headed the HLC, informed that a few days back, the finance department has accorded sanction of about Rs 2 crore for payment as a one-time premium to the Syiem of Hima Mylliem.
“Very soon this amount will be transferred to the account of the Hima Mylliem and once that is done physical possession of that plot will take place,” he stated.
The deputy chief minister also refused to comment on the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC)’s statement rejecting the HLC recommendations by saying “whether you accept it or you reject it, I have nothing to say right now and I knew they went to court also, I don’t want to comment anything on this.”
Urging the delegations from outside the state to cooperate with the government, Tynsong said, “We understand their concern for their own community even if we have such similar cases outside the state means the government has to do something.”
The deputy CM further said that during the course of preparing the report of the HLC, the Shillong Municipal Board was directed to conduct inventorization to know the numbers of people who are settling on the plot of land.
“We wanted to know exactly how many people are there, who work in different departments of the state government and how many do not. We wanted to get the exact number of those settlers but they refused. When you refuse it means there is something wrong,” he said.
He also requested the settlers to cooperate with the state government.
To another question, Tynsong however maintained that in this particular case, the question of the land transfer act does not arise since the land belongs to Shillong Municipal Board.
“Let us go back to the lease agreement between the Syiem of Hima Mylliem and the SMB 1954, go back to the agreement whether the agreement is with the Harijan themself or the agreement is with the SMB,” he said.
“If the agreement 1954 mentioned directly that it was signed between the Syiem of Mylliem and the Harijan I have nothing to say but I have gone through it and I have studied and checked. The original lease agreement signed was between the Syiem of Mylliem and SMB which proves that the land belongs to the SMB,” he added.
On the allegations that the government is taking up the issue because of the upcoming bye-elections, the deputy CM said, “Bye-election will end on October 30, so you have to see beyond October 30. Are you trying to say that we will just dump this issue, we will not.” HE added, “The cabinet has already sat once and we are going to sit more after the bye-election.”
‘Won’t give up’
Stating that they will not succumb to any pressure, the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) on Thursday wrote to the East Khasi Hills deputy commissioner Isawanda Laloo seeking no intervention by the district authorities in the matter of relocation of poor Sikhs of the Harijan Colony in Shillong as the matter is sub judice.
After an emergency meeting of the residents of the Harijan Colony at the local Gurdwara Sahib, the HPC also requested the DC to provide provision of more security to the poor Sikh dwellers of the Harijan Colony and other parts of the district.
In a statement, HPC secretary Gurjit Singh said that the decision was taken after some self-anointed leaders ‘with no locus-standi’ petitioned the office of the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills District for relocation of the residents of the Harijan Colony in the Punjabi Lane area and some are alleging no action by the government of Meghalaya after the submission of the report by the High-Level Committee.
“(However), the HPC categorically states that as the matter is sub judice in the High Court of Meghalaya at Shillong as well as the apex court of the land -the Supreme Court of India, any intervention by any office in this regard would amount to contempt of court,” Singh said.
According to him, the HPC is of the considered view that these statements are being issued to overawe us to create hatred in the minds of poor Sikhs people of the colony.
This came after an advocate Erwin K Syiem Sutnga had petitioned the DC seeking relocation of over 300 families from the Sweeper’s Colony at Them Iew Mawlong as per The Meghalaya Land Transfer Act.
Singh however reacted by saying, “For the last two hundred years, we have been peace-loving people, we have worked very hard to earn our livelihood and we have contributed substantially to the welfare of the people of the area.”
The HPC further maintained that they will not succumb to any pressure and will be constrained to proceed legally in the matter.
“All the matters published in the media have already been submitted to the National Commission for Minorities and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. The call for relocation of our people under the Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act 1971, made by a local lawyer is misguided, irrelevant and sinister. The provisions of the said Act are not applicable to us. Had it been relevant, the state would have initiated proceedings soon after the promulgation of the Act. To make reference to the Act, 50 years hence is malafide and a clear breach of the status quo order of the High Court. In fact, it is a contempt of court,” he said.
The HPC also reiterated that following a writ petition in the High Court of Meghalaya at Shillong, Justice S R Sen, in his order dated 5 February 2019 categorically stated that the Harijan Colony people are not to be disturbed in any manner and also facilitated the placement of security for the protection of the dwellers.
It also stated that Chief Justice R More of the High Court of Meghalaya, in his order dated 9 April 2021 directed that the status quo be maintained by both parties with regard to the Harijan Colony.
“This misadventure must be stopped. It is high time to maintain peace and harmony in society,” the HPC asserted.
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