Eviction drive of HYC at Lum Survey: Police register case for vandalism
Police onlookers during action
Shillong,May 23: The eviction drive against the settlers at Lum Survey on Thursday initiated by the HYC has affected the functioning of an education centre there.
Benches, desks, books were displaced while dismantling houses, in the presence of the police.
Eye witnesses informed that the education centre running for 10 years was affected in the eviction drive.
According to the eye witnesses, the centre was meant for the poor students of all sections of the society but the text books as well as copy books were all lost.
East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner SC Sadhu said the eviction carried out by the group did not have any sanction of the district administration.
Terming the act as inhumane and illegal, the deputy commissioner said the police have registered a case and action will be initiated.
According to the Deputy Commissioner, the case is coming up in the court on May 28 and the illegal action of the group may become counterproductive.
Earlier in the day, many houses at Lum Survey were dismantled by the HYC.
According to the HYC, the action was following the expiry of two weeks’ deadline given to the district administration of East Khasi Hills for acting against the illegal settlement on the land belonging to the Defence Estate Office, Guwahati.
The HYC brought a JCB to Lum Survey and kept on standby for dismantling the settlement.
On the sidelines of the eviction drive, the HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem said, “Today we have taken up this eviction drive after the completion of the two weeks’ time given by the organisation after the joint inspection was conducted by the district administration along with us.”
“We have waited for an update from the deputy commissioner on the status of our demand to evict the illegal settlers within two weeks but no words from him till today. And also we received information that people, who are dealing with drugs, who have left the place have also returned yesterday. Based on this and also knowing that this place is the epicentre of illegal activities particularly drug trafficking, we decided today we will go and take action by dismantling these illegal settlements there,” he said.
Synrem said the illegal settlers were requested to take their belongings and leave the place immediately before dismantling their houses.
“We have also got a JCB ready nearby but we did not use it since dismantling of these illegal settlement were not that difficult,” Synrem said.
He issued a warning that if the people continue to stay or if the government gives them permission to again stay there then next time, the organisation will bring four to five JCBs to dismantle all illegal settlement on the land.”
