Shillong, June 27: The National Commission for the Safai Karamcharis member Jagdish Hiremani on Thursday said that the commission would recommend the state government to not shift the residents of the Harijan Colony.
Mr Hiremani is on a visit to the state to review the welfare of the Safai Karamcharis. Talking to the media he said that the state government should wait for the report of the High Level Committee on the Harijan Colony issue and also the High Court’s verdict on the matter.
He further informed that following his visit to the state and his interactions with the residents and other government officials of various department, he would be filing a report and submitting it to the centre and the state government and the central Government.
He also questioned the hasty decision of the High Level Committee to issue notices to the residents when the matter is pending before the court and the commitee is yet to complete it’s procedure.It may be mentioned that the HLC had served notices for inventorisation to the residents of the Themiew Mawlong.
He said that this people have served the state government for over 200 years and that the land was given to them by the Syiem of Mylliem, Hiremani said that they should be given all the facilities and if the local bodies and state government makes a plan, the commission is ready to sanction the amount from Prime Minister housing scheme.
Mr Hiremani also Citing the Supreme Court verdict of 1972 in which it was directed that the manual scavengers around the country must be rehabilitated by giving them employment opportunity training, education, health and housing facilities. He said that the issue should have been solved way back in 1972-73 if the state government would have followed the Supreme Court order.
Nonetheless he sought from the Meghalaya government that these Safai Karmacharis should be rehabilitated by giving them basic facilities like housing, health, education and employment facilities.He pointed out that Meghalaya is not alone with this problem as similar problem existed in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu but these were resolved amicably.
