The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) has outrightly rejected the state government blueprint for the relocation of the residents of Punjabi Line (Them Iewmawlong), calling it “incomplete, unsuitable, unprepared, unfair and undemocratic.”
In a press release, the HPC, which speaks for the Dalit Sikh residents of the area whose ancestors were brought over from Punjab by the British to work in sanitation, said it had held multiple rounds of consultation with residents.
Last year the Urban Affairs Department proposed that the residents of Them Iewmawlong be rehoused in the existing quarters of the Shillong Municipal Board. The resettlement has proven contentious after the government’s first choice of area – around the TB Hospital in Mawbah – drew fierce opposition from locals over fears of overcrowding. The HPC, representing the 342 families living in Them Iewmawlong, wanted housing in the European Ward.
In an exhaustive six-page reply sent to the government, the HPC letter read, “We are absolutely devastated that 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 to respect for the judiciary. We will not buckle under political duress.”
Although the HPC has attended meetings with the government “in good faith”, the latter has been “resorting to misinformation and disinformation through the media and, at the meetings, the only attitude is to overawe us into submission to 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,” said HPC secretary Gurjit Singh.
The plan would have the residents give up their homes and their rights, title and interest and accept “prison cell-like accommodation”.
The letter pointed out “grey areas and gaps” in the government’s blueprint – proposed area and houses too small, official building guidelines violated, no roadmap of demolition of present structures, no public amenities and no specification of title to the land and the houses.
In an earnest appeal to the government and people of Meghalaya, Singh said, “the government must stop the witch hunt and allow us to build our houses and 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. The residents of Punjabi Lane want to live with honour and dignity in 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.”
Singh reiterated that the HPC will stick to its original demands. It also argues that Them Iewmawlong belongs to the Syiem of Mylliem and that its recent transfer to the state government violates the Land Transfer Act. It was a Syiem from the 19th century who gave the ancestors of the Punjabis permission to settle in the area as sanitation workers.
The demand for the residents to relocate stems from a “stray case of discord” between residents and two Khasis in 2018, which blew up into a sustained period of violence between rioters and police. Since then, there has been a continuous police presence guarding Them Iewmawlong.
