GUWAHATI, Feb 13: Garo residents of Malchapara and Salbari villages within Hahim sector, one of the areas of difference along the interstate boundary, have clarified their stand and now expressed their “willingness to be with Meghalaya”.
A statement issued by the Garo Students’ Union (GSU), Assam state zone on Sunday, said that the Garo people living in Malchapara and Salbari villages have expressed their strong sentiment against the recent media statement where GSU Assam state zone chief adviser Tharsush K. Sangma had, based on spot interactions, said that the “Garo residents of Garos living in Hahim, Chutia Bazar, Salbari and Malchapara villages had expressed their willingness to remain in Assam.”
“However a section of the Garos living in the Malchapara and Salbari lying within Hahim sector strongly reacted to the statement by GSU and said that their villages should be brought under Meghalaya,” Sangma said in a statement on Sunday.
A meeting to clarify their firm stand about their decision was held at the Salbari LP School ground on Sunday during which the leaders of the GSU and the Garo Development Council (GDC) were present.
The villagers from Malchapara and Salbari also requested the GSU chief adviser to withdraw his earlier media statement, to which he obliged “as he did not want to hurt the sentiments of the Garos living there.”
“The GSU leaders told them that they have every right to openly assert their willingness and that the GSU has never objected to their demand to merge their villages with Meghalaya,” Sangma said in the statement.
Besides Sangma, other members present in the meeting were GSU (ASZ) president Foldin Marak, GSU (ASZ) general secretary Kronel Sangma among other leaders besides village headmen, the church leaders, village elders, mothers, youths etc.
Members of the GSU (Assam state zone) along with representatives from AASU, and three other students unions, had on February 6 and 8, visited tribal-inhabited villages under four areas of difference – Hahim, Gizang, Boklapara and Khanapara-Pillangkata sectors – and interacted with the border villagers.
The visit was undertaken at a time when Assam and Meghalaya have more or less resolved their differences in six ‘relatively less complicated’ areas out of the 12. The proposals of the respective regional committees on the six areas are being currently examined by the Centre.