Meghalaya government gives Harijan committee 15 days to decide on relocation

After holding a long-pending meeting with the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) on August 10, the Meghalaya government gave the committee 15-days time to make a decision regarding the relocation of 342 families from Them Iew Mawlong.

The meeting was held between Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, HPC leaders and Sikh bodies to discuss the relocation issue.

Speaking to reporters, Dhar said that the deadline was given to the committee members after they had sought the same to discuss a few issues pertaining to the blueprint for the relocation of the families to the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) quarters located on Bishop Cotton Road.

It must be mentioned that earlier, the Harijan committee had accepted the blueprint for the relocation of the 342 families.

Furthermore, Dhar added that no organisations from outside Meghalaya would be allowed to have a say in the issue as it is "between the government and the HPC."

Meanwhile, the HPC members expressed that they were content with the meeting and assured that the decision will be conveyed within the given deadline. 

The meeting to address the ongoing issue of relocating the families has been a long-pending affair for a long time as the committee was given a time of two months by the state to appoint a new president for holding discussions on relocating 342 families from Them Iew Mawlong.