Shillong, Oct 15: The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) has asserted that they have the right to occupy and possess the land at Them Iew Mawlong on which Harijan colony or Sweeper’s colony is currently settled, as the same has been upheld by Court on several occasions.
HPC Secretary Gurjit Singh said, “We have the right to occupancy, right to possession here which has always been accepted and upheld by the Court” even as he asked the government on what basis they are being termed as unauthorized residents of the colony. He also stated that they are ready to fight the issue in Court for as long as possible as it is their right.
“Now we are being termed as unauthorized… how are we unauthorized? All of our records are in Municipal department… now the Chief Minister says we haven’t provided any records… but every time we have gone to Court, we have submitted all the records, as and when government has asked about the list of families, we have been providing it every time, since 50 years back… our names, the colony’s name is there right in the first election held in independent India,” informed Singh.
“Since Meghalaya became a State, our names are there in the first voter list, we have our citizenship here… so how can the government say that we are unauthorized…” he added.
Stating that the voter ID is a proof citizenship, he said there are around 1200 voters in the colony and the voter list has been submitted to the government. “We have around 1200 voters here in Harijan Colony, we have given the Voter list to government… Voter ID is a proof of citizenship, we have given bills of electricity supply… we have given that to the government… now what other citizenship proof they want… the government is coercing us,” he said.
Ownership of land
On the ownership of the land, Singh said the land is their right. He informed that the land was gifted to them 200 years back by the Syiem of Hima Mylliem and they have been staying there since then. And there is no law that allows for removing residents from a place occupied for 200 years.
“The Syiem of Mylliem gifted the land to us 200 years back… now we have right on this land… we have been staying here for 200 years… and there is no law that says that you can remove people from a place where they have been residing for 200 years,” he said.
He also mentioned that in 2008, the then Syiem of Hima Mylliem, Latho Manik Syiem, declared the right of the harijans staying in the colony over the land as well.
Stating that it is a revenue free land, he asked how the Acting Syiem of Hima Mylliem can overrule the order of a former full-fledged Syiem.
“The Acting Syiem says he’ll give this land to someone else or take it back… this is not a joke,” he remarked.
He further stated that after the 2018 riots, they have given all the documents to the government, be it HLC, state government, Court or even media. “We have given all the documents so how can the government say that they don’t have our documents,” Singh said.
The wrongs of SMB
He also informed that in 1954, Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) gave some portions of the land to people on lease whereas the lease clearly mentions that the area is in Harijan Colony.
“But this leasing itself was wrong and done illegally by Shillong Municipal. The people who took the land on lease in 1954 have now become the owners of the land by taking our land, whereas we are being called unauthorised occupants,” stated Singh.
NGOs should understand the facts
Talking about the 2018 riots and the demand by several NGOs for relocating the Dalit Sikhs from the Harijan colony at Them Iew Mawlong, Singh said the NGOs need to understand the facts about the issue first.
“They (NGOs) should come and talk to us and understand the reality… the government is doing injustice to us. Instead of telling us to move out from here because we are not locals the NGOs should instead go and ask the government how they got this land and how the Shillong Municipal gave the land to government and who the land actually belongs to,” stated Singh.
