Meghalaya: Harijan Colony Relocation Stalls as Year-End Approaches, Groups Demand Clarity

Shillong: The state government's inability to fulfil its promise to evict the "illegal settlers" from Them Iew Mawlong by the end of this year has angered the Khasi Students' Union and the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People. The government is allegedly trying to buy time by claiming that Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma will meet with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss the possibility of obtaining the defence land next to the Harijan Colony in order to relocate the settlers, according to the two pressure groups, which maintain that the government is very lenient with them.

Donald V. Thabah, the general secretary of KSU, informed the media that, contrary to popular belief, the relocation matter has been lingering since 1996. “Precious lives were lost during the protest to relocate the illegal settlers in 1996,” he said. After numerous injuries occurred in 2018, he reminded the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA-1) administration, which is led by the National People's Party, that it had pledged to remove the residents of Harijan Colony.

“Now we have the same dispensation (MDA-2) but till now, it has not been able to decide despite being in the government for the second consecutive term,” Thabah said. He also claimed that the administration disregarded the opinions of those who had been waiting for the settlers to be moved for many years. He blamed outside pressure for the government's failure to keep its promise.

Dundee Cliff Khongsit, president of the FKJGP, questioned why the government took so long to move the inhabitants to the spot across from the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) headquarters. “There should not be any more delay. We strongly condemn the state government for its soft stand,” he said.

The people who have lived in Them Iew Mawlong for decades, he argued, should not be entertained by the government. At first, the Meghalaya government suggested moving the households to the SMB's location on Bivar Road, reserving 2.14 acres of land and another 1.4 acres. Even though it is not covered by the Sixth Schedule, the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) insisted that each family be given 200 square meters of land in the European Ward.

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