[Sweeper colony case] Petitioners can't ask for accommodation on Mount Everest: Meghalaya High Court

The Meghalaya High Court on Tuesday urged the residents of Shillong's erstwhile sweeper's colony to be more reasonable in their negotiations with the State government regarding their relocation to an alternative accommodation [State of Meghalaya v. Harijan Panchayat Committee and ors]..A bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice W Diengdoh also observed that the core issue in the case was not a legal one warranting the Court's interference."This is not a legal issue. You cannot, you know, open your mouth too wide to say that you be resettled on the top of Mount Everest", the Chief Justice orally remarked, while addressing advocate Ritesh Khatri who appeared for the petitioners..The bench proceeded to adjourn the matter till August 30, while expressing hope that the negotiations between the State and the erstwhile colony's inhabitants will be more fruitful by the next hearing. "Since the State and the respondents are still trying to negotiate an amicable settlement, the Court’s interference is not warranted. However, it has been repeated on several occasions that the matter has dragged on for far too long. The matter will appear six weeks hence in the hope that a solution is reached by then," the Court's order stated. .The High Court was hearing a plea concerning the relocation and rehabilitation policy for Dalit Sikhs who were formerly residing at a sweeper colony in Shillong.In the last hearing, the bench had taken strong objection to allegations made by the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) that its stand was misrepresented by the Court. "You people are playing fast and loose!" the Chief Justice had orally remarked, after the Shillong Times reported that the HPC had not agreed to the State's blueprint for relocation and compensation, contrary to what had been submitted in Court..The issue concerns around 342 families from Shillong's Them Lew Mawlong, also known as Punjabi Lane, which has housed sweepers employed by the Municipal Board for decades.Clashes erupted in the area in May 2018 between the people of the Khasi tribe and the Sikhs living there. The city's Municipal Board then started an exercise to determine who the legal residents of Punjabi Lane were, which was met with demands to relocate the Punjabis.A high-level committee was set up by the State government in June that year to solve the issue.Eventually, the Urban Affairs Department, in its blueprint, proposed the construction of 30-40 flats in 12 blocks on an alternate 2.5-acre plot of land.The government would demolish the existing buildings at Punjabi Lane as they were not strong enough and reconstruct some units in their place, the department had stated.Meanwhile, the Shillong Times recently reported, while relying on anonymous sources, that the HPC never officially agreed to the government's blueprint, even in the High Court.The committee, as per the report, was demanding land measuring 200 square metres (approximately 2,150 sq.ft.) for each family.The apparently contradictory stance drew a strong reaction from the High Court in the last hearing, with the Chief Justice commenting,"This cannot go on indefinitely. You cannot cling on to your position and say we will not budge. Move! And you are playing the fool with the Court! Someone appeared last time said, 'we agree', then goes out of the Court and says we misrepresented their statement? Where is that gentleman? Where is that advocate?"In the last order, the Court also noted that the HPC had given a 'false impression' earlier that only minor aspects of the blueprint were left to be modified while the overall proposal was accepted..Advocate Khatri appeared for the HPC. Additional Advocate General ND Chullai with advocate R Colney represented the Meghalaya government..[Read order]