Meghalaya Govt awaits defence ministry’s decision for allotment of land to relocate Harijan families

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJanuary 7, 2025

The state government is still waiting the response of the defence ministry on the request to allocate 2 acres of land for the immediate relocation of 342 families of the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.

Informing this on Tuesday, Chief Secretary DP Wahlang said, “The ball is in the court of the defence ministry. So we expect them to give response as quickly as they can and we are just waiting for them to communicate back to us.”

He informed that state government had approached the central government to allot land in the vicinity of Mawlonghat, which belongs to the Army.

“We have communicated with the defence ministry and we hope that we will get a positive response on that. The area that we have requested is quite small and its viable as far as we are concerned. So once we get a response from the defence ministry, we will take forward,” Wahlang said while adding “In fact, in the month of December both the chief minister as well as the commissioner and secretary of Urban, they had gone to the ministry for this very purpose and we hope we will get a response soon.”

Asked, the chief secretary said that if the defence land is being alloted, the Gurudwara will not at all be affected.  

“Of course at that point of time when we met here two months back in the month of November, they (Harijan Panchayat Committee) were agreeable to that because relocating that area where we are discussing right now, the Gurudwara will also not be impacted or affected and the place of worship would not be touched. So I think it is a win-win situation if it is approved. We are talking about an area of 2 acres, which may be reduced to one and a half acres,” he added further.