North Shillong MLA Adelbert today expressed unhappiness on the negotiation on the relocation of the residents of Them Iewmawlong, otherwise known as Harijan Colony.
As the local MLA he said he is shocked that the number of affected families that will require resettlement at public expense has reportedly jumped from 184 to 342.
“This means that another 158 additional families have come up and the government has to provide land for them,” he said. “What happened to the power vested in us as landowners and how to deal with the renters? This is a great loss for our people and the same was the case in the boundary settlement with Assam where we lost around 2.29 sq km to Assam.”
Stating that now the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government has promised to give another 1.4 acres to relocate the settlers at Them Iewmawlong, Nongrum, who is a member of the opposition Voice of the People Party, said, “If the MDA has to compromise in front of the renters, then leave the matter as it is and let the VPP come to power and do the right thing.”
“We must do the right thing and we cannot say if the next meeting on the Them Iewmawlong issue will again be just an eyewash to dupe the people given the coming elections,” he added.
