Meghalaya has finalised the site to relocate Dalit Sikhs from Shillong’s Harijan Colony, which the government is slated to take over, The Hindu reported on Thursday.

The government decided to take the land of Harijan Colony, also known as Sweepers’ Lane and Punjabi Lane, based on a report from a committee formed in 2018 to look into the demand of Khasi outfits to relocate Sikhs after violence in the area. The violence had erupted after an argument between a Khasi bus driver and a Sikh resident.

The state government and the Shillong Municipal Board had signed an agreement to take over the land from the Syiem of Mylliem. Syiem is the customary head of a Khasi tribal administrative area.

Dalit Sikhs have been protesting against the takeover of the land, calling the move “illegal”. Only 350 families residing in the colony have members who are employed at the municipal board. Therefore, the residents have opposed the government’s decision.

Gurjit Singh, the president of Harijan Panchayat Committee, said Sikhs would rather die in their homes than be evicted.

On Thursday, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the government will relocate 342 families from Harijan Colony to the quarters of the Shillong Municipal Board, The Hindu reported.

The blueprint for identifying the location was submitted by Urban Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar on Wednesday, East Mojo reported. “As per the technical report given by the department, it is possible to accommodate all the 342 families in the same area,” said Tynsong.

Tynsong said that the residential quarters, where the families will be accommodated, will be reconstructed as they are dilapidated, The Hindu reported. “The Urban Affairs Department has been asked to provide the designs and estimates for constructing the quarters,” Tynsong said.

Once a detailed reconstruction plan is drafted, the government will meet leaders of the Harijan Panchayat Committee, Tynsong added. The new structure will more than 12 blocks with 30 flats each, he said, according to East Mojo.

Meanwhile, the Harijan Panchayat Committee has refused to react to the government’s decision, The Shillong Times reported. They will wait for the government to send them the blueprint of the new quarters, the committee said.

Also read: Dalit Sikhs of Shillong’s Punjabi Line might agree to move. But where will they go?