The Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR) citizens group has come out in opposition to the state government’s resettlement of the Sikhs from Punjabi Lane in the heart of Shillong.
The issue has been pending since at least 2018 when violence erupted in the neighbourhood and the demand to resettle the residents there became a hot topic issue.
Recently, the High Level Committee constituted by the state government decided to recommend the relocation of genuine government employees to other areas in government accommodation.
The area has been lived in by Sikhs who were brought by the British government in the 19th century to keep Shillong clean. The land in Them Iewmawlong was given to them to live in and is still lived in by people of the same community.
TUR suspects that the area, which is near the commercial centres of Iewduh and Khyndailad, is being coveted by “certain business interests”.
The Sikhs there “are seen as socially marginalized and are one of the weakest sections of society when they were brought to Shillong,” TUR said. “And even now, they are seen as a group who are poor, backward, ostracized and powerless to do anything and therefore easy to relocate without their voices being heard.”
TUR has demanded that the area be redeveloped with proper facilities, such as water supply, sanitation and electricity, with residential housing for the Sikhs.
The group accused the government-appointed committee of not taking into consideration the views and opinions of “a cross section of society and that the HLC itself is comprised of members representing the government. The government constituted the HLC itself and gave the suggestions itself, which is not tenable.”
The residents of Punjabi Lane were not represented on the committee, TUR added, not was even the local MLA.
“Questions can be asked of why the government decided the contents and implementation of the HLC report to be in secret and not made public for comments. Also, the timing of the release of the report is suspect, with the nearing of the by-elections to three constituencies of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly,” TUR said.
