The State government has again decided to add another 1.4 acres of land for the relocation of the families from Them Ïew Mawlong here.
This decision was taken during a “positive meeting” held here today between deputy chief ministers Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar and representatives of the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC).
Another final meeting has been scheduled for the second week of January where the relocation issue is expected to be settled.
Confirming that today’s meeting was indeed a positive one, Tynsong exuded confidence that the matter would be resolved by early 2024.
“Apart from the 2.14 acres plot of land at the existing building of the Municipal Board Office, in addition we have added another 1.4 acres of land which is opposite to the Municipal Board complex. So a total of approximately 3.6 acres of land has been proposed for relocation of 342 families of the Harijan Colony,” Tynsong said.
Asked if the State government would bear the expenditure in the construction of these residential quarters, Tynsong said that the matter has not been discussed yet since today’s meeting was particularly about the blueprint.
“Relocation has to take place. We stand on that and stick to it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the HPC members expressed satisfaction with the blueprint presented today. They however said that they would convey the issues discussed at today’s meeting to the families of the Harijan Colony.
HPC secretary Gurjit Singh said that some additional corrections will be made but overall it was a positive meeting.
“We can expect that the problem will be resolved by next year,” said Gurjit Singh.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee general secretary Jagdeep Singh who also attended the meeting said that all issues would be finalised at the next meeting slated for the second week of January 2024.
It may be mentioned that several rounds of meeting has been held to find a solution to the relocation issue and even the Meghalaya High Court has directed both the parties to resolve it amicably at the earliest.
However, with smiling faces of all those who came out of today’s meeting, one can expect the long pending issue to be resolved soon.