New Delhi, April 26
Sikh residents of Shillong’s Harijan Colony have agreed to be relocated from the area if the conditions set by them are met. One of the conditions is that all 342 families of the colony should be given land in the European ward of the city.
On Monday, the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) representing the Dalit Sikhs held a meeting with the state government and discussed relocation of the families.
Meghalaya Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong on Tuesday said, “The government will prepare a blueprint that will be communicated to the HPC, following which the two sides will again hold a meeting to reach a conclusion.”
The next meeting will be held before May 15. “We want a 200 sq m plot for each family. The state government should bear the cost of construction,” HPC chairman Gurjeet Singh said. The HPC also demanded that a gurudwara, two Hindu temples and a church and the Guru Nanak Dev School located in Harijan Colony should not be dismantled. Sixty persons who have shops in the neighbourhood should not be disturbed, the HPC has demanded further.
Shillong Sikhs agree to relocate, set conditions
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