SHILLONG, Nov 11: Member of the Ri Bhoi regional committee on the interstate boundary issue and Nongpoh MLA, Mayralborn Syiem on Thursday said the committee is yet to complete its physical survey in the district and submit its report to the state government as mandated.
“We have met only once and while the physical survey of Boklapara is complete, that of Khanapara-Pillangkata cluster is not,” he said.
Pointing out that it is for the chairman of the regional committee for Ri Bhoi and the other districts to convene a meeting and to go to the ground and meet the stakeholders again, Syiem said: “This is in the terms of reference given to the regional committee but we are yet to chalk out a plan.”
Attributing the delay to the by-elections, he said a meeting should be called by the chairman now that the polls are over.
As part of the ongoing chief minister-level talks between the two states to resolve the age-old interstate boundary dispute, the Meghalaya government had constituted three regional committees to examine the present status of six ‘areas of difference’ — Tarabari, Gizang and Hahim in West Khasi Hills District, Boklapara and Khanapara-Pillangkata in Ri Bhoi and Ratacherra in East Jaintia Hills.
The Chairman of the committee for Ri-Bhoi district is Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and the members of the committee include Dasakhiatbha Lamare, Minister of Public works (Buildings), Mayralborn Syiem and Jirang MLA Sosthenes Sohtun. The Deputy Commissioner of the Ri Bhoi district is the Member Convenor.
The regional committees on border disputes for Ri Bhoi and Assam’s Kamrup (Metro) districts had conducted a joint visit to two clusters in Khanapara and Pillangkata in October.
The Ri Bhoi committee led by Tynsong and the Kamrup (Metro) committee led by Assam’s cabinet minister Piyush Hazarika visited several border villages that included Barapathar, Iongkhuli, Maikhuli and Khanapara, to take the views and suggestions of the local residents.
The Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya are slated to conduct a joint inspection of some of the disputed areas next week as a confidence-building measure.
Himas in WKH want to be part of border inspection
The four Himas of Riangsih, Nonglang, Jyrngam and Nongmynsaw have submitted separate letters to West Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, Tableland Lyngwa with a request that the regional committee should invite them during inspection of the areas along the interstate boundary with Assam.
The letters, with similar contents, state that they want to be part of the physical inspection to be conducted by the members of the regional committee relating to the ‘areas of differences’ between West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya and Kamrup district of Assam.
“We would like to request you to kindly inform us of the date and place/location whenever the members of the regional committee intend to carry out a joint physical inspection with their Assam counterpart with regard to the areas of difference,” they said.
According to the Himas, they would be able to present their case with documents and maps before the authorities in respect of the physical boundary and territorial jurisdiction of the hill principality along with the subjects living therein.