The Hynñiewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has demanded relocation of only 194 out of 342 residents of Them Ïew Mawlong here to an alternative site.
According to the HYC, as per replies obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) out of 342 families, there are 148 families who are not employees of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) or any other government departments.
“Most of the employees of the SMB are either part-time or daily-wage sweepers. Most of them have been appointed without any advertisements while some of the employees have died but the family members are residing there,” HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem said.
Stating that they have no objection if the government provides government quarters to the 194 families and can occupy the same till such time they are serving as employees of the state government, Synrem said the same should be applicable to other government employees in different parts of the state.
“If the government decides to provide free land and free house to these people, we feel that all the government employees will make similar demands in the future and this will create a big burden to the state government and the people of Meghalaya who actually pay and contribute to the state exchequer”, he stated.
The State government will relocate 342 families from Them Iew Mawlong to the land belonging to the Shillong Municipal Board at Bivar Road here.
Already, the State government has agreed to provide 2.14 acres of land within the existing building of the Shillong Municipal Board to resettle the residents. Additionally, another 1.4 acres of land opposite the Shillong Municipal Board’s building has been included for the purpose. Thus the total area proposed for the relocation is 3.6 acres.
