HPC serve legal notice to SMB, demand withdrawal of notices within 7 days

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 1, 2019

SHILLONG: The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) has served legal notice to the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) demanding the immediate withdrawal of the notices issued to the Harijan residents within seven days, failing which a contempt case will be filed before the Court. 

This came a day after the Board had issued notices to as many as 300 households in the Sweeper’s Colony directing them to furnish documents within a month’s time.    

The notice also stated that the object of collecting information as to the number of persons and also their duration of occupation of stay is to prepare both long term and short term policy for resolving long pending issue pertaining to the Sweeper’s Colony. 

Terming the action by the Board as illegal, Secretary of the HPC Gurjit Singh in a statement issued here on Saturday said, “It has been protested by the residents of Harijan Colony by way of legal notice of contempt to the SMB chief executive officer (CEO), by giving time of seven days to withdraw these notices.” 

Singh said the Meghalaya High Court in its judgment and order passed on February 15, this year, had directed “not to disturb the members and residents of Harijan Colony in any manner”. 

“Nonetheless, the stand of SMB sending them notices in the name of inventory verification and documents collection is termed as illegal and unlawful. This action of SMB issuing the notices was taken on the same day, the matter pertaining to issue was listed before the Meghalaya High Court on May 31, which shows the deliberate attempt,” he said. 

The secretary further stated that the judgment and order passed by the High Court was not challenged in appeal, whereas the Meghalaya government had chosen to file a review petition, in which the High Court on May 31 asked the Advocate General of the state as to why the appeal was not filed, and other hand issued notices, which was accepted by Harijan Committee in order to file proper reply. 

He said the state government is hell bent to dislocate the residents who claim to have been residing for more than 150 years as per the declaration issued by the Syiem of Hima Mylliem. 

According to him, the residents of Harijan Colony say that since SMB is not having any documentary proof to evict them out from the premises, they have now issued the so called inventory notice to collect the documents and take action.