Meghalaya Govt to Conduct Re-verification of RTI Response Following Concerns Raised by HYC

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya government is checking the accuracy of information in response to an RTI query after the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) raised concerns.

The query revealed that out of 342 families in the Harijan Colony at Them Iew Mawlong, 148 were considered illegal settlers.

The HYC asked Deputy Chief Minister Tynsong to look into the matter due to possible discrepancies between the disclosed number of families and figures presented in an affidavit submitted to the Meghalaya High Court, which claimed 342 families lived there.

Tynsong recognized HYC's concerns and agreed that a re-verification was necessary. He instructed the CEO of SMB and the Director of Urban Affairs to look into the issue and explain.

He mentioned previous cases where RTI responses didn't match official records, highlighting the need to be accurate.

The government plans to meet with the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) on May 7 to talk about moving residents from Them Iew Mawlong, especially with concerns about whether the settlement is legal and the number of people living there.

Earlier, the government of Meghalaya and the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) planned to hold a key meeting on May 7. This meeting signifies a substantial advance in efforts to resolve the ongoing issue of relocation. Its purpose is to decide on the details for moving residents of Them Iew Mawlong to a new site.

The HPC delegation will also be present at the meeting. It will be headed by its secretary, Gurjit Singh. The central focus of the meeting's agenda is the plan formulated by the State government for moving residents.

This plan involves the relocation of 342 families from Them Iew Mawlong. They are to be moved to a specified area. This area is controlled by the Shillong Municipal Board, located on Bivar Road.

The initial steps for this relocation project were taken in October 2021. During this time, the State government acquired 12,444.13 square meters of land at Sweepers’ Colony. A one-time payment of Rs 2 crore was made to the Hima Mylliem.

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