SHILLONG, Nov 17: In sharp contrast to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma’s optimism, Hill State People’s Democratic Party president KP Pangniang said Meghalaya and Assam will not be able to resolve their boundary dispute before Christmas.
Pangniang, a member of the interstate boundary committee for West Khasi Hills, said, “I do not think it can be resolved within December because even in the first round of talks of the regional committees, they could not complete the inspection.”
He said the issue is vast and needs a lot of discussions for a solution. “I think it might even take one year to even take a final call for settlement,” the HSPDP president said Wednesday.
He said both the chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya are keen on a solution and if the issue is not settled within the tenure of the MDA regime, it will be prolonged again.
“If they cannot solve the problem and arrive at a final solution, I see no hope for a solution in the near future and it may take 50 years more. It is a big task but there is goodwill between the CMs of both the states while the government of India wants the matter to be settled amicably,” Pangniang said.
On the “historic” visit of the two CMs to Langpih, he said it has convinced the people that a solution could be a reality after 49 years of uncertainty.
“The highest authority of both the states has the intention to resolve the matter once and for all,” he added.
Stating that the visit was more of a goodwill gesture than an inspection, Pangniang said Langpih did not figure in the list of six disputed sites under the first phase of discussion when the notification for the regional committees was issued.
He said the HSPDP took the matter up with the chief ministers of both the states and they agreed to give special consideration and focus to Langpih.
Putting the concerns of Congress and a few others at rest, he said Langpih does not fall under the first category to be looked into by the regional committee.
Pangniang said the mutually agreed principle to arrive at a solution involves five criteria – it should be based on historical perspective, ethnicity of the local population, perception of the people living in the area, contiguity with the boundary and administrative convenience.