GUWAHATI, Nov 16: Assam and Meghalaya have “tentatively decided” that the district heads and public representatives of both Kamrup and West Khasi Hills would meet and collectively discuss to ensure that the benefits of central schemes reach the people of Langpih – a decades-long disputed inter-state border area, around 40 kilometres from Boko in Kamrup district.
This was announced by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during a “historic and significant” goodwill visit by the chief ministers of the two states to Langpih (called Lampi in Assam) on Tuesday.
“We have tentatively decided that whenever central schemes are sanctioned, both the deputy commissioners along with public representatives will collectively discuss and try to see that we can give the maximum benefit of the schemes to the people of Lampi irrespective of caste, creed, et al,” Sarma said while addressing a gathering at Langpih.
Both Sarma and Meghalaya Conrad Sangma conducted a joint inspection of the border area and interacted with the villagers.
Underlining the need to create confidence-building measures in the border area, he said that initiatives such as vaccination, setting up of mobile towers, power lines, educational institutions and roads were the need of the hour for Langpih and its residents to keep pace with modern society.
“I am confident that as development goes along with discussions, I am sure we will be able to resolve the dispute in the days to come. I would like to assure the people of Meghalaya that Assam wants enduring peace and move ahead in the spirit of the Northeast,” the chief minister said.
Earlier, addressing the gathering, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma said that the decades-old border dispute was preventing implementation of central schemes in the border areas and hindering development.
“As such, the public representatives, including the deputy commissioners, MLAs, MDCs and chief secretaries have to meet and decide how we can make the most of such schemes in the border area so that development does not stop and that the residents are not deprived any longer,” Sangma said, while requesting the people to adopt a positive mindset for ushering in development.
Sarma also said that, that while Langpih is not in the first list (six areas) of differences, this visit was needed to reassure the residents we will resolve the dispute in a critica area once and for all in the days to come.
“However, to resolve the Langpih issue, we need to have extensive dialogue with the citizens, work on ground zero, talk to people and take their opinions, consider constitutional issues, so that no issue is left unresolved for the future generation. This why we have kept the Langpih dispute resolution for the second phase,” he said, adding that a presentation by the district heads of both Kamrup and West Khasi Hills would be made as we need to hear both the sides in a bid to amicable resolve the issue.
The chief minister said that both states want to maintain age-old ties and also set the tone for a united Northeast for the benefit of the region.
“Of the 12 areas of differences, the regional committees constituted by the two states have concluded their visits to five areas of differences (except Boklapara), taken views of the people and considered aspects such as administrative convenience, etc. The committees will submit their reports soon to the respective chief ministers. Thereafter, both the chief ministers will meet and try to resolve the issues,” Sarma said.
“Assam has never opposed the creation of states carved out of it. It is customary in all our cultural festivals that we refer Northeast as seven sisters in the spirit of the region. However, it is also a fact that we have border disputes, but this is an irritating factor and sometimes goes beyond our control,” he said.
Earlier, the chief minister extended his gratitude to Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma for the historic visit to Langpih.