We have records to prove it, says RC Laloo
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: While claiming that the official residence of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at Khanapara is a disputed area, the State Government has maintained that they have records to prove this point.
“We have official records to prove that the land where the official residence of the Assam chief minister stands is a disputed area between the two states,” Meghalaya’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Prof RC Laloo told reporters on Monday.
It may be mentioned that this is for the first time that the Government has claimed that the residence of the most powerful man of Assam is at a disputed area.
When asked about the rejection of the Assam Government about the proposed Boundary Commission which the State had suggested, Prof Laloo said that the Government has not received any official communiqué from Assam Government in this connection.
“We came to know this only through reports from the media,” he said, adding that they had sought the opinion of Assam while passing the resolution to constitute the boundary commission and that they had also directly submitted the resolution to the Centre.
“We are hopeful that the Centre would agree to our suggestion for constitution of the Boundary Commission to resolve the long pending inter-state boundary dispute,” Prof Laloo said.
It may be recalled that the Assam Legislative Assembly last year had passed a resolution rejecting the notion of having a Boundary Commission.
On December 19 last year, during the opening day of the Winter Session, the Assam Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution supporting the stand of the Tarun Gogoi government that there was no need to go for another Boundary Commission to resolve the boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya.
Months before that during the Budget Session held in March last year, the Meghalaya Assembly unanimously resolved to prevail upon the Centre to set up a Boundary Commission in order to solve the vexed inter-state boundary dispute.
The inter-state boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has been dragging on for nearly four decades and there appears to be no immediate solution in sight. Both states have been making claims and counter-claims on several areas along the border.
Last year during a chief secretary-level talks, both sides have resolved to look into the 12 areas of difference which include Upper Tarabari, Gizang Reserve Forest, Hahim, Langpih, Borduar, Boklapara, Nongwah-Matamur, Khanapara-Pillangkata, Deshdemoreah, Block I and Block II, Khanduli-Psiar and Ratacherra.
During the talks, which were held in August, the Meghalaya government conveyed to its counterpart that the land under these 12 areas of difference was around 2,700 square kilometres.