SHILLONG, June 20: MLAs facing the heat over the decades-old border skirmishes with Assam in their constituencies believe that no Central or state boundary commission can solve the issue unless there is a collective political will across the affected states in the Northeast.
“Assam is the mother state since we are all born out of the neighbouring state. We need a collective effort involving all the affected states since the boundary disputes cannot be resolved through boundary committees,”’ Umroi MLA George B. Lyngdoh said on Sunday.
The Congress MLA, who has been vocal about the issue, said the states involved in a boundary dispute should arrive at an amicable solution that benefits the local people of both the states.
“Even if the path to a solution is uphill, it is important for the state governments to keep on engaging in political dialogue,” he said.
Lyngdoh felt the efforts should be above party lines. “Governments ruled by the same party or rivals may not be inclined to work toward a solution but all options have to be weighed through political will,” he said.
Nongpoh MLA, Mayralborn Syiem underlined the construction of a transit camp by Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) at Khanapara in Meghalaya.
“We have been raising our voices in and outside the House since the construction by Assam started, but the government has not taken any cognizance,” he said.
Slamming the MDA government for its sloppy handling of the issue, Syiem said: “It seems they are reluctant to take up the issue seriously with Assam. They no longer have the excuse of waiting for the Assam elections to be over.”
The Nongpoh MLA said the land ASTC is working on belongs to Meghalaya without an iota of doubt. Assam has opened up a new “area of difference” because of the construction activity, he added.
Syiem hoped the Centre would take cognizance of the issue and take steps to resolve it by factoring in Assam’s boundary rows with other Northeastern states too.
