Shillong, June 13: The Hynniewtrep Border Dispute Redressal Forum (HBDRF) has urged the government to form a Boundary Commission to look into issues of border disputes and provide a specific time frame to complete the task.
In a petition submitted to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, HBDRF chairman, Chandame Sungoh stated that the Assam government has started the construction of a police outpost, universities and other developmental infrastructure along the inter-state border staking claim to the soil while the State does nothing to safeguard the land and its people.
While appealing to the state government to keep watch of porous borders during the pandemic, the HBDRF chairman also urged the state government to take necessary steps to ensure that the construction of the Police Outpost by the Assam Government comes to a halt.
“We were informed that Assam is still undergoing construction in the village of Saba, Mojem, Block-1,” he said. Sungoh added that he had accompanied the MDC of Mynsngad-Khanduli Constituency, Dawan Lyngdoh during the meeting with the Deputy Commissioner of West Jaintia Hills district to verify the credentials of the information.
“We got to know that there already was an agreement with the West Karbi Anglong district and the Government of Assam to halt the construction of the police outpost. However, as per the finding of officials, there are signs and markings which confirm that construction is still in progress despite the decision to stop. This amounts to violation of the agreement between the States,” the HBDRF chairman stated.
He further stated that they are also discontent with the construction of a Border Police Outpost at Khatkhasla, West Jaintia Hills district.
According to Sungoh, top officials of the Assam Government and Karbi Anglong Council have inspected the outpost recently with a commitment to construct boundary walls in the area.
“We visited Khatkhasla where all the resident of the village are Jaintias and the area falls in the jurisdiction of the State of Meghalaya. The construction of police outpost in these disputed areas will jeopardize the safety of our people who are residents in the village. We urged the government to resolve this matter at the earliest,” Sungoh added.
