By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Close on the heels of the bifurcation of the Manipur-Tripura cadre of the Indian administrative, police and forest services, several legislators on Thursday demanded the separation of Assam-Meghalaya joint cadre of the three civil services
Reply to the discussion on a motion tabled by Ardent Basaiawmoit (UDP), Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma said in the State Assembly that the government was not averse to the idea of examining the merits demerits of Assam-Meghalaya joint IAS cadre.
Frequent border skirmishes prompted Basaiawmoit to move the motion on the need to provide security and protection to the people living in the inter-state and international borders.
According to Basaiawmoit, the people living in the areas all along the stretches of Meghalaya and Assam border have to bear the brunt of all kinds of atrocities due to inordinate delay by the Meghalaya government to settle the border dispute .
Cutting across party lines, legislators demanded that the state government should ask the central government for the bifurcation.
“Three days back, parliament has bifurcated Tripura-Manipur joint cadre. I don’t see the reason why Meghalaya should continue to have a joint cadre with Assam when both these states (Manipur and Tripura) were created in the same year with Meghalaya,” said UDP legislator Paul Lyngdoh.
HS Lyngdoh (HSPDP) also favoured the bifurcation of Assam-Meghalaya joint cadre.
Congress member Sayeedullah Nongrum said that it was due to the joint cadre system that people living in the border are facing undue sufferings.
However, the Chief Minister said that having a joint cadre has both advantages and disadvantages.
The Opposition Leader Conrad Sangma said that there was a need to create an inter-state border department to build confidence in the minds of border residents.
17 police stations
The state government has sanctioned 17 full fledged police stations in the inter-state and international border at the cost of Rs 143 crore, the Chief Minister said.
According to him, this will ensure the safety and security of border residents.
