Shillong, Nov 2: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Wednesday said the 342 families of Sweepers’ Colony are not ‘illegal settlers’.
“You can’t say that they (342 families) are illegal settlers,” Tynsong told reporters while reacting to allegations made by the social organizations.
“The question of illegal settlers does not arise as the details and records of all the 342 families are already there in the office of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) and also with the Meghalaya High Court,” he said.
On the proposal of the government to relocate them to the existing quarters of the SMB, Tynsong said the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) is yet to communicate its decision on the matter adding however, the High Court has already asked them to file affidavit on this regard within few weeks’ from now.
On October 21, the Meghalaya High Court had asked the HPC to respond to the proposal of the state government within four weeks’ time.
European ward besides bearing the cost of construction of their homes.
After the meeting, HPC secretary Gurjit Singh had expressed concern that the government had rejected its 8-points resolution.
“The government has instead come up with its own blueprint. Therefore, we will first study the blueprint, we will go back to the people of our community to discuss and take a collective decision then we will come back to the government,” he had said