SHILLONG, February 25: The Minister incharge of the Department of Arts and Culture, Sanbor Shullai has denied the demand of the CRPF to provide a land of upto 50 acres free of cost in order to relocate their camp from Mawlai situated presently in a land of the Department of Arts and Culture of Meghalaya.
The demand to remove or relocate the CRPF camp from Mawlai intensified last year when the leaders from Mawlai including the Seng Samla Mawlai Pyllun and locality leaders further pressed this demand on the Chief Minister of Meghalaya.
Sanbor Shullai today called for a meeting with the officers, police personnel’s and also CRPF personnel’s at his office to discuss the speedy process of relocating the CRP personnel’s from Mawlai.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, Shullai said that the CRPF has already sought for a plot of land measuring upto 50 acres from the State Government in New Shillong Township so that they can relocate from Mawlai. During the meeting, Shullai clearly stated to the CRPF representatives that the Government cannot provide a plot as per the requested measurement, however the Government has decided to give a plot of land measuring only 5 acres and that too the CRPF will have to utilise it alongside the state police force, that is 2 acres for the CRPF and 3 acres for the state police force and the supervision of the area will fall under the Police Department.
He said that the CRPF has agreed to be satisfied with the 5 acres as allocated by the Government while also expressing that once the plot of land is handed to them, within a year they will make all the necessary provisions to relocate from Mawlai.
Shullai also said that the plot of land belonging to the Department of Arts and Culture in which the Tribal Research Institute is instated in Mawlai measures about 7 acres and till now about 2.86 acres is utilized by the CRPF. He said that following the relocation of the CRPF from the place, the department will inspect it for construction of amenities that will benefit the people of the state.