SHILLONG: Traditional heads and residents of over seventeen villages from the disputed Block-II areas in Ri Bhoi District have come forward to support the setting up of a State Bank of India (SBI) branch at Sabuda by the Assam Government.
Sabuda is a village on the Meghalaya-Assam border, which has often been in the news owing to the ongoing border dispute between the two neighbouring states.
President of the Hynniewtrep Peoples’ Federation of Assam (HPFA), P Lamarai, which is a conglomerate of heads of the villages in the Block-II area, has supported the SBI branch at Sabuda and has asked the Confederation of Ri-Bhoi People (CORP) and CSWO (Irene) group to refrain from interfering with the setting up of the SBI branch.
Lamarai stated that people of various villages along the inter-State border have resolved to request the Assam Government to set up the SBI branch at Sabuda to cater to the greater interests of the people of the area.
“We would want the two NGOs not to interfere and let the bank be set up,” Lamaria said.
Informing that the people have been compelled to allow such kind of development activities by Assam since the nearest bank is in Bhoirymbong which is 50 kilometers away from the Block-II area, the HPFA president urged the Meghalaya Government to listen to their grievances and set up similar financial institutions in the two villages of Ummat and Umlaper under Raid Nongtung to provide banking facilities for the residents.
“Establishments of financial institutions in Block-II area will, to a greater extent, benefit the people here,” he asserted.
Lamenting that the long-pending boundary dispute was yet to be resolved, Lamarai said that the Block-II areas have remained under developed owing to discrimination shown by both the state governments.
Lamarai also made an interesting disclosure that the villagers along the inter-State border are compelled to be voters in both the states.
“We have our names enrolled in both Mawhati constituency in Ri Bhoi District of Meghalaya and Baithalangso constituency in Karbi Anglong district of Assam,” he pointed out, while adding that it was only during the election time that the residents of Block-II are treated as citizens of Meghalaya but after the elections are over, they are treated as outsiders.
It may be metioned that despite opposition from the local villagers, the State Bank of India (SBI) opened a branch in Sabuda in Block-II on Monday.
The inauguration of the bank was done by the headman of Lakarew village Rajip Kamire who was accompanied by the president and secretary of the Peace and Development Committee Pius Sten and Lowis Mujai respectively.