SHILLONG, SEP 2: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Friday said the government will invite the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) for discussion once detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed construction of the multi storey housing flats is submitted by the urban affairs department.

“Now, they (urban affairs department) are preparing the DPR and blueprint of the design. I will invite them (HPC) once the DPR is ready for discussion on the government’s decision,” Tynsong told reporters.

A day after the state government had decided to relocate the 342 families of Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to the existing official quarters of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB), Congress chief Vincent H Pala on Thursday alleged that there was some “big deal” behind the government’s taking possession of the land at Them Iew Mawlong without following the due process of land acquisition.

Hitting back at Pala, Tynsong said, “Yes it is a big deal. It is a breakthrough, a big deal and big achievement because all these years that land where the agreement was signed a long time back between the Syiem of Hima Mylliem and the Municipal Board was only a small stretch of it. But after a series of meeting we had with the Syiem of Hima Mylliem ultimately he has taken up this issue with the executive committee of the dorbar as well as to his dorbar…the request from the government side we told them why not you handover this entire plot…so thank God they accepted that proposal and then they handed over and we have taken possession of this plot of land (at Them Iew Mawlong).”

He also asked Pala to meet him if he does not understand the difference between land acquisition and lease agreement.

“In case he (Pala) doesn’t understand much about the land acquisition and the lease agreement, ask him to meet. I will explain to him nicely,” he said.

Stating that it was a tripartite agreement between the Hima Mylliem, SMB and the government, Tynsong said, “There is no question of outright purchase or outright sale. This is the agreement. The agreement is on lease basis.”

“If Pala does not understand I am ready to explain to him all the details because he is right such a big deal, such a wonderful deal and such a biggest achievement done by the government and the credit goes to the Syiem of Hima Mylliem, who has such a big heart to ultimately agree for lease agreement between the Syiem of Hima Mylliem and the Municipal Board as well as with the urban affairs department,” he said.

On October 29, 2021, the Meghalaya government had taken over the land at Iew Mawlong in its bid to relocate the Sweeper’s Colony residents, after a premium of Rs 2 crore was released to the Syiem of Mylliem.

The taking over of the land measuring 12,444.13 sqm was as per lease deed dated March 31, 2021.

The tripartite lease deed was signed between the government of Meghalaya, the Syiem of Mylliem and Shillong Municipal Board.

This was also after the state government had decided to implement the recommendations made by the High Level Committee (HLC), which submitted its report on September 28, 2021.

When asked, Tynsong said that the government is planning to redevelop the land at Them Iew Mawlong into a commercial complex and a well-organized hawkers market, once the residents are relocated from there. “The urban affairs department have to engage experts for preparing the DPR the designing and everything…they must have already floated the EoI – the best designers or the best architects to design that particular place which was already handed over to the government for redeveloping and developing into a proper commercial complex as well as the hawkers section where we can accommodate them over there,” he said.

By Our Reporter