E-Paper
Residents of Punjabi Lane to relocate to permanent location: Meghalaya deputy CM Prestone Tynsong
The Punjabi lane is inhabited by people from Punjab who were taken to Shillong about 200 years ago by the British to work as sweepers and manual scavengers.
Meghalaya deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong said residents of the Punjabi Lane area in Shillong have decided to relocate to a permanent location and a final decision will be taken early next month.
The Punjabi lane is inhabited by people from Punjab who were taken to Shillong about 200 years ago by the British to work as sweepers and manual scavengers.
In May 2018, this colony, comprising nearly 342 families, remained under siege for nearly a week after an altercation over a parking spot spiralled into a full-fledged ethnic conflagration between the residents and the state’s Khasi community.
Soon after the clashes, the state government, under pressure from tribal groups, had set the ball rolling to relocate the residents from “Punjabi Lane”. Also known as Them lew Mawlong, the area is considered prized real estate as it is situated next to Shillong’s commercial hub and the largest traditional marketplace, Iewduh or Bara Bazaar.
Deputy CM Tynsong, who is the chairman of a high-level committee constituted by the state government to look into the matter, met members of the Harijan Panchayat Committee and deputy chief minister Sniawbhalang Dhar who is also in charge of the Urban Affairs department.
Meghalaya has two deputy chief ministers - Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar.
“In the meeting, we decided to go for complete and permanent relocation,” said Tynsong on Tuesday.
He said the decision was taken after a meeting with Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC). Tynsong informed that it was a fruitful meeting and the delegation of the HPC has requested the government to allow them to have one more meeting with the residents of Them Iew Mawlong before both parties come to a conclusion.
On reports of disparity on the actual numbers of settlers who are to benefit from the settlement, Tynsong said, “I have already referred this particular case to the director of urban affairs to verify, so now, we are waiting for that.”
“Let me just tell you one thing as far as the number of families is concerned, let the verification be over. Once the verification is done, then I will be able to come out clearly and justify on the RTI report,” he added.
Meanwhile, general secretary of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, Jagdeep Singh said the residents of Them Iew Mawlong as well as the state government want an amicable solution with regards to relocation.
Singh said that the discussion on relocation is not about the number of families residing in Them Iew Mawlong but a discussion for a permanent solution for all 342 families.
He added the people residing in Them Iew Mawlong have been residing in the area for centuries hence, a proper relocation is the need of the hour for all families who have served the state.
