Meghalaya govt. firm on relocating Shillong Sikhs

The shifting from Harijan Colony is in keeping with the Meghalaya High Court’s directive, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said

The Meghalaya Government is firm on relocating 342 families of Mazhabi Sikhs and other Dalit residents of the State capital Shillong’s Harijan Colony, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said.

This follows the High Court of Meghalaya’s directive to the State Government to resolve the matter by April, he said.

The residents of Harijan Colony, a part of the Them Iew Mawlong area, have been in the eye of a storm since a communal flare-up over the parking of a State-run bus. The colony measures 3.33 acres and flanks a 300-metre lane.

“We had invited the leaders of the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) in November 2022 for their opinion on the relocation blueprint submitted to them but they sought some time. We are awaiting their response to the invitation for talks,” Mr. Tynsong said.

ALSO READ | Political parties, NGOs oppose Shillong Sikhs’ relocation conditions

On March 17, the High Court asked the State Government to resolve the matter by April.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh ordered the parties to resolve the matter by April so that relocation, if any, could take place within the next two or three months and the matter is given a final quietus.