The settlers of Punjabi Lane at Them Ïew Mawlong here have agreed to vacate the site if the State government provided alternative accommodation to their families.
During a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong today, the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) requested the State government to provide the 332 families at least 200 sq metre plot at a government land and also to build the dwelling units for all of them in the allotted land.
Briefing media persons following the meeting, Tynsong who is also the chairman of the High Level Committee that was formed to look into the relocation of the families, informed that the Harijans have agreed to relocate but with certain conditions which were submitted and also discussed in today’s meeting.
Stating that the government has asked the Urban Affairs Department to prepare a blueprint with a detailed proposal which will be communicated to the HPC, Tynsong said that another meeting will be held with the HPC on the matter.
The deputy chief minister said the government is yet to finalise the place for relocating the 342 families but have identified two to three places.
“At the same time, they (HPC) wanted to know whether the unit that is constructed for them will be owned by them from generation to generation…these are the issues they wanted to get the details from the government. So we have instructed the Urban Affairs Department to prepare the details,” Tynsong said.
He also said no timeline has been set for completing the process but the details by the department are likely to be known before May 10 or 15.
Regarding the litigations that are pending in the Meghalaya High Court on the matter, Tynsong said, “Once we agree on the same lines, then we will jointly file an affidavit to the High Court to close the case.”
Meanwhile, HPC secretary Gurjit Singh said that the 342 families wanted a 200 sq metre plot and that the government should bear the construction of the dwelling units.
“The government is going to take it up in the cabinet about our conditions and they will share with us their proposal,” Singh said.
He also informed that the 342 families are mostly government employees while some others are running commercial businesses at the existing site in Them Ïew Mawlong that they have established over the years.
