SHILLONG, Sep 3: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma is seeking an out-of-the-box solution to the boundary dispute with Assam.
Speaking to media persons after a meeting of the regional committees on Friday, he said one has to shift from the old stand that did not yield any outcome for almost five decades.
“Apart from historical facts, we need to look into the current situation and community linkages, the mood of the people and economic activities in those areas,” Sangma said, adding that the government will try to see if both states can come to an agreement.
“We feel there are common grounds and disputes, but micro-detailing shows 20-30% of the villages may have a dispute,” he said.
Reiterating that the government is trying to resolve the issue one at a time, he said many factors are being looked into and referendum may be an option.
Three regional committees were formed to study the disputed areas on the border. A committee each was formed for Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi Hills districts while one was for East and West Jaintia Hills districts.
The first reports of the committees were shared with the government during Friday’s meeting.
As member-secretary of a committee, each Deputy Commissioner presented the micro-details and the current status of the villages concerned.
The government will have two or three more meetings with the regional committees, each of which will also hold a few meetings.
“Once the Assembly session is over, there may be a joint meeting and joint visits by the regional committees,” Sangma added.
The micro-details presented by the committees go into the different communities settled in the area, the number of villages there and their administrative convenience. Whether these villages are in the census of Assam or Meghalaya and where they are drawing power are among the other inputs in the reports of the committees.
“Officials visited these villages to get the mindset of the villagers. We are serious about this and that is why we had this meeting. Our aim is to find an amicable solution,” Sangma said.
During the second round of the CM-level border talks in Guwahati on August 6, the two states had agreed to constitute the three committees, each to be headed by a Cabinet Minister.
The committees were tasked with visiting six areas of differences – Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pilangkata and Ratacherra – and work on modalities for resolving the decades-old disputes.
