SHILLONG, Aug 3: Opposition leader, Mukul Sangma has asked the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) to take cognisance of the documentation that the previous Meghalaya government submitted to the Assam government.
NESAC has been tasked with demarcating the boundaries of the states in the Northeast through satellite imaging,
“They can take cognisance of our documents. We have done our job and those data interpreted the natural boundary between the two states,” Sangma said.
The Congress Legislature Party, which met on Tuesday, discussed in detail the border dispute between the two states.
Stating that the previous government had submitted its claims after due consultations, Sangma said the ongoing negotiations between the two states should be held based on the documentation that the previous government submitted to Assam.
Whatever resolution is arrived at, it should be able to protect the interest of the locals who are the victims of the problem, he said categorically.
He also said that the previous government, after taking note of the sufferings of the people, had introduced the inter-state border areas development programme and allocated a huge amount. But the present government failed to understand the problem of people and did not give due recognition to the programme.
“Our people have been abandoned by this government. Schemes, which were sanctioned, have been diverted and are being implemented elsewhere,” the Opposition leader said.
On the give-and-take policy for resolving the dispute, he said the Congress’s position is that whatever understanding is reached, it should be able to protect the people and be acceptable to them.
A Congress delegation will visit Iongkhuli village on Wednesday to assess the ground situation. The Assam Police had on July 25 forcibly removed electric poles erected by Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited at the place.
Sangma said the officers on both sides are new to the dispute and they have to study the whole matter.
“They are dislocated. Even our officials in the Revenue department don’t know the border problem,” he said.
Terming the present government as the most useless and accusing it of transferring officials left and right thereby destroying the system, Sangma said there should be the stability of officials. He said some MLAs are visiting the areas of differences without any homework.
