Harijan Colony land row: HPC writes to CM; says issue ‘litmus test’ of govt’s honesty
Appreciating the CM’s readiness to talk to Sikhs of the area, the letter sought for a formal agenda-based invitation from the chief minister.
SHILLONG:
The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) on November 8 said that the Harijan Colony issue is a “litmus test of government’s honesty, justice and integrity”.
In a letter to the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, HPC secretary Gurjit Singh said, “And it is also the test of our tenacity and determination to fight and save our homes. We are committed to holding on till our last breath and Sikh history bears testimony to our determination.”
Appreciating the CM’s readiness to talk to Sikhs of the area, the letter sought for a formal agenda-based invitation from the chief minister.
“We never received an invitation from the High Level Committee (HLC) for discussion in the last three and a half years. On the contrary, we have consistently been given veiled threats of forcible eviction… Your statement and that of your Deputy that HLC did not receive any representation or objections from the affected people is far from true,” reads the letter of the HPC.
Apart from asking the government to disclose the contents of the tripartite agreement reached between the government, the acting Syiem of Hima Mylliem and the Urban Affairs department, the letter also inquired about the names and details of the 40 families who have been allotted accommodation, as recently stated by the chief minister.
It goes on to say, “What is so sacrosanct that it (tripartite agreement) is not being made available even through RTI? Is it that the 31 March 2020 date is an ex-post facto afterthought to circumvent contempt of court? Is it that it has signed the agreement with the acting Syiem, while he cannot legally do it? Is it also not true that the young acting Syiem has been put under pressure to execute the document?”
Sounding a stern warning regarding the proposed demolition of religious places in the Harijan Colony, Singh said, “As a responsible citizen, I impress upon your government that it should not hurt the religious sentiments of the people by destroying the Gurdwara, the Hindu temple, the Church and the school in the name of Guru Nanak in the area.”
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