From Our Correspondent
NONGPOH: Enraged over the frequent and blatant encroachment by Assam government in the bordering areas of Ri-Bhoi District, the KSU North Khasi Hills District unit on Monday issued a one-week deadline to the MUA-II Government for solving the border disputes in the district while threatening stern agitational programme.
KSU North Khasi Hills district president Ferdinand Kharkamni on Monday evening submitted a letter to Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner Akash Deep on the matter of ongoing encroachment by Assam in 15 villages under the jurisdiction of Hima Nongspung in Ri-Bhoi District.
Talking to The Shillong Times after the meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, Kharkamni said that from time to time the Union has been submitting letters to the government over the encroachment by Assam but the State Government has not done anything concrete to solve the matter.
“We are fed up of the mere lip services of the government with no action against the infringement of Assam in Meghalaya territory,” he said.
The KSU leader, while informing that the Deputy Commissioner would take up the matter with his counterpart in Assam in a meeting scheduled on May 17, also informed that the district administration has assured stringent action against the erring gram sevak and the site engineer of MeECL if it is found out that they did not report the forcible electrification of the villages under Hima Nongspung by the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB).
The Deputy Commissioner also informed that Extra Assistant Commissioner R Kharbihkhiew will conduct a spot inspection of the 15 villages and submit his report on the encroachment by ASEB, Kharkamni said.
Meanwhile, in the letter submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, the KSU stated that since the past few months the ASEB has embarked on an aggressive operation to supply electricity to several villages under Hima Nongspung and erected electric poles in Patagoan, Lyngkhung, Bakhlapara, Hawla, Jimrigaon, Bernongsai, Billpara, Balakhawa and Ranibari villages, etc.
The KSU also said that they have conducted spot inspection of the villages where they found that the ASEB had erected electric poles in the villages without any permission from the Meghalaya authorities.
The letter also stated that the Assam Government had, last month, erected a border pillar at Bakhlapara claiming the territory as its own.
The KSU demanded immediate stoppage of all electrification process in the affected villages and asked the State Government to warn Assam to desist from such illegal acts.
The KSU also blamed MeECL for failing to deliver its service in these villages thus giving ample opportunity to the ASEB to sway the people by providing electricity.