Meghalaya’s claim over Gogoi’s residence
From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Media reports about Meghalaya government claiming the official residence of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi being on a disputed plot of land on Koinadhara Hillock along the inter-state boundary on Tuesday triggered a walk-out by the Opposition MLAs in the Assam Assembly in protest against the failure of the Assam government to make its stand clear on the issue.
One of the MLAs of the opposition AGP, Padma Hazarika and BJP’s Prasanta Phukon raised the matter in the House demanding a statement from the state government on the issue and MLAs from all other opposition parties too joined the issue.
As no immediate response was forthcoming from the state government, the Opposition MLAs walked out of the House in a huff to register their protest.
Later making a statement on behalf of the government, State Environment and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain said, “Assam government will never handover any land as sought by the neighbouring Meghalaya and firmly believe that the boundary dispute between the two states could be solved only through Constitutional means.”
He also said that the state government had made provisions for fund for border areas development in the budget tabled by the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday and efforts would be made for rapid development of areas close to inter -state boundaries in the state.
Meanwhile, Assam government denied the veracity of the media reports about people of 15 villages from Garbhanga area along Assam-Meghalaya boundary deciding to get annexed to neighbouring Meghalaya in protesting against Assam government’s indifference to develop infrastructure and amenities in those villages. Making a statement in the House government said, it had not received any such representation from those border villages in question. While stating that it was committed to rapid development of border villages in the state, Assam government stated that no village on its own could decided to get annexed to a certain state and such a matter can be decided only by the Parliament.