Nongpoh: The Amur Falcon Festival, held annually at Umru and Tyrso village in the border areas of Meghalaya and Assam attracting many tourists to the state, has been postponed this year due the lackadaisical attitude of the state government.
Speaking to media persons in Nongpoh on Wednesday, General Secretary of the Tyrso Valley Wildlife Protection Society (TVWPS) Alos Nongpoh, along with the traditional heads of Raid Nongtung and leaders of the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF), said that the society, with deep regrets, had to cancel the event this year due to the lackadaisical attitude of the state government.
“I am deeply saddened to inform you that the Amur Falcon Festival has been cancelled this year as the state government has not taken up the development of these border areas seriously, especially when it comes to road connectivity as well as other developmental schemes,” Alos said.
Alos added that the people residing in these border villages had to face hurdles by the people from Assam as well as the Assam Government, and that the villagers did not have the courage to complain because even if they do, the state government will do nothing and they instead will become a target for the people of Assam.
“We have faced many difficulties and no one has come forward to help us. Instead we have become a target for the people of Assam side. The state government has done nothing for the development of the border areas,” Alos lamented while adding that this year, the Assam government has taken chances by organising the Amur Falcon Festival in the same venue which was usually organised by the TVWPS earlier, clearly indicating that the Assam Government is more serious when it comes to border developments.
When asked about the boundary disputes with Assam, Alos said that it is useless to talk about the boundary issue as the government did not even take the providing of developmental schemes seriously, especially road connectivity, the backbone of any kind of development.
Meanwhile, leaders of the HNYF, which include General Secretary central body Sadon K Blah and president of the Northern Region Marcus Marten, condemned the state government for its adamant attitude in not solving the long-pending boundary dispute thereby leading to the problems faced by the locals of these border from the people from Assam as well the state government.
Blah also informed that the federation will soon convene a meeting with all the traditional heads, the headmen and residents of Block-I and Langpih areas before coming to any final decision, adding that, till date, the federation has been pursing and pressuring the state government to solve the long-pending boundary dispute with Assam.
Blah added that the federation will take its final call on the border issue after getting the views and opinions of the leaders and locals of these border villages in the next few days to come before deciding its future course of action.
