Authorities have clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in Punjabi Lane area in Shillong and served notices to its residents directing them to furnish documents within a month to prove that they had settled in the area legally.
The colony is inhabited by people from Punjab, who were brought to Shillong around 200 years ago by the British to work as cleaners and sweepers. An incident of assault in the area in May last year had resulted in group clashes following which it was put under curfew for over a month.
Following the direction of a high-level committee of the state government, Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) officials served the notices to the people on Friday.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were clamped in Punjabi Lane before the notices were served as there were intelligence inputs apprehending trouble in the area, a senior official of the East Khasi Hills district administration said.
The prohibitory orders will remain in place until further notice.
“Most of the residents received the notice in person. Officials pasted the notices on the front doors of the houses which were under lock and key,” an SMB official told PTI.
In the notice, the residents of the Punjabi Lane were asked to furnish documents regarding their possession of either land or house and the period of their stay.
The notice said the information will be helpful for preparing both long and short term policies by the government for resolving the issue at Punjabi Lane.