The state government and Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) will sit for talks as early as next week on the relocation of residents of the troubled Them Iewmawlong, or Them Metor.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the HPC, through its petition with the Meghalaya High Court, has shown interest in holding talks on how to resolve the impasse.
The HPC has argued that land in Them Iewmawlong had been given to them by the Syiem of Mylliem more than 100 years ago to settle on after they were brought to Shillong from Punjab as sanitation workers.
However, the land in question became the epicentre of a violent riot in 2018 when residents of the area allegedly assaulted Khasi youth there. Even four years later, security is heavy in the neighbourhood, with police present round the clock and vehicle entry restricted.
The state government took over the land from the Syiem of Mylliem last year and aims to relocate the residents, with those employed by the state or Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) to be moved into designated quarters. What happens to those residents who do fall into those categories is not clear.
“I cannot share much detail but, most likely, we (the government) will invite them (HPC) for talks,” Tynsong said.
Earlier, a senior official had informed that the relocation of SMB staff from the colony will take place when space is freed up following renovations to its temporary office. The state government will allot quarters to 128 employees.
The state government took over the land at Them Iewmawlong, measuring about 12,444 square metres, after executing a tripartite lease deed whereby it paid a premium of Rs 2 crore to the Syiem of Hima Mylliem.
The lease was signed between the government, the Syiem of Mylliem and the SMB after the cabinet accepted the recommendations of a Tynsong-headed committee.
