Shillong: Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) secretary Gurjit Singh has once again expressed disappointment over the Meghalaya government’s failure to include any of their demands in the blueprint for relocation of the residents from Shillong’s Harijan Colony.
Singh accused the state government of pressurising the committee to accept the relocation blueprint prepared by the CM Conrad Sangma-led government.
The Harijan Panchayat Committee on Thursday sent a reply to Meghalaya government on the blueprint for the relocation of residents of Punjabi Lane, Shillong. The committee after multiple rounds of consultation with its members has stated that the proposal of the government was “incomplete, unsuitable, unprepared, unfair and undemocratic.”
“It depends on the government to break the deadlock by calling the HPC for discussions. The case is still pending in the court and going on for a year now,” Singh told EastMojo
On being asked about the blueprint, Singh said there was just a design of the building without any basic amenities. “The way the government has given statements has put us in a bad light. It will make the public think that we are not being cooperative,” he added.
“The government has been saying that by April the settlement will be done and in May relocation will be completed. This is not possible,” Singh said.
He also said that the residents staying at Sweepers Colony should be given time to shift to the new location.
“There are already 484 units on the site that the govt has mentioned. So the residents staying there have to be given time to shift and then the building will be demolished. After that, the final blueprint will come up followed by the sanctioning of funds. All these works will take time and it is not a one-day affair,” stated Singh.
Earlier, the HPC had sent an exhaustive 6-page reply to the Deputy Secretary of the Government of Meghalaya and to other departments concerned.
The HPC letter reads, “There are serious lacunae, sweeping and undesirable conclusions in the approach and attitude of the High-Level Committee of the Meghalaya government.”
“We are absolutely devastated and since the formation of the new government, ministers, MLAs and certain groups have been making unnecessary remarks saying that the whole issue would be resolved within the month of April. What magical trick do they have up their sleeve to resolve the issue within days? The matter is sub-judice and they are only paying lip service. We will not buckle under political duress,” Singh said.
“We have attended meetings of the government in good faith but the government is resorting to misinformation and disinformation through the media and at the meetings, the only attitude is to overawe us to accept their proposal. The language of the political leadership is one of intimidation. They are putting our lives and properties at risk and making us vulnerable,” the HPC secretary said.
The HPC has strongly alleged that the entire exercise is an ill-founded relocation theory, which actually compels the resident of Punjabi Lane (Harijan Colony) to forego their rights and interest over whatever small land portion in the colony and to accept the prisons cells like accommodation being offered in the proposed blueprint.
The Harijan Panchayat Committee which, despite all odds, has been spearheading a battle for rights of the residents for the last three decades has in its detailed reply to the government said that the disputed land belongs to the Syiem of Mylliem and not to the government and any attempt by the government to buy it is violative of the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act.
With reference to the recent incident of 31 May 2018, the HPC has stated that taking advantage of a stray case of discord, suddenly the “relocation theory” resurfaced for political and vested interests. We have all the official documentation necessary to live as citizens at our ancestral land in Punjabi Lane.
In an earnest appeal to the government and people of Meghalaya, Gurjit Singh said, “The government must stop the witch hunt and allow us to build our houses. We can assure that the beauty of the area will be fully maintained and for this, the residents have the full support of the Sikh community.”
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“The residents of Punjabi Lane want to live with honour and dignity at the land of their forefathers and it would be improper to treat them as aliens. The solution to this should be peaceful, amicable, mutual and permanent without trampling on our fundamental rights,” he added.
Also Read | Meghalaya govt to go to court after Harijan Committee rejects proposal