By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: While the State Government is overjoyed with the outcome of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to Bangladesh to resolve the boundary problem with that country, the villagers residing along the international border are unhappy with the arrangements that were arrived between the two countries for resolving the boundary issue.
The villagers are expected to hold public meetings to protest against the agreement made by India and Bangladesh to exchange lands.
Federation of Riwar-Mihngi Local Dorbars (FORMLD) general secretary Peter Rynjah has informed that the executive committee is going to meet this coming Tuesday to decide the date for the public meeting.
The villagers are opposing handing over of 41 acres of land to Bangladesh as announced by Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma.
Meanwhile, Coordination Committee on International Border (CCIB) chairman Ryngksai said that they would not accept this decision to hand over their land to Bangladesh.
“The Government cannot force the people to part with their land. This would not be accepted by the affected villagers in the border areas,” Ryngksai said, while adding that after the partition of India and the subsequent formation of Bangladesh in 1971, several villages and cultivable land have been dislocated.
“This current agreement will further displace the people residing in the borders. We need to understand that land belongs to the people and not to the government,” Ryngksai added.
