Shillong, Nov 11: Admist a lot of hue and cry by the protestors protesting against the eviction drive by the government at Umsawli, a village under the New Shillong Township project.
Justifying the eviction drive, urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said that the Court too has established them as encroachers.
Talking to media person, Ampareen Lyngdoh maintained that prior notice to illegal settlers was not required as the court in its verdict on October 20 justified the ownership of Meghalaya Government over the possession of lands at Umsawli.
Umsawli, about few km from Shillong, is one of the areas where the government has acquired land for developing the proposed township though several organisations, including CSWO and farmers, are alleging that the land was fraudulently purchased by the government.
MUDA last week had conducted an eviction drive at Umsawli to pave the way for the New Shillong Township and CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing was arrested for obstructing the eviction drive.
She was arrested based on a FIR lodged by Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) authorities alleging that Kharshiing obstructed an eviction drive conducted at Mawdiangdiang in the New Shillong Township (NST).
Lyngdoh also said that the Government is ready to discuss the issue with the affected people but residents should not take law into their own hands.
According to Lyngdoh, MUDA wants to go into the issue as per the requirements and MUDA officials even wanted to inquire about the settlers but they were not willing to divulge their antecedents to the authorities.
Lyngdoh expressed concern over the delay in starting the work of the NST project even as she emphasised that the project will ease the congestion in Shillong but lamented that the project is being delayed because of frequent obstructions.
Meanwhile the report of the MUDA officers to Lyngdoh said the two plots of the land were allotted to NEEPCO and IT department during 2010.
As per the report of MUDA surveyors submitted to Lyngdoh on Monday during the last eviction drive, the MUDA had explained about the ownership of the plots and some court papers were show to the encroachers but they refused to listen and the land belongs to the government.
During the eviction drive, seven kutcha huts,one semi pucca shed and one kutch shed was vacated from the encroaches.(SP News)
