NONGPOH, March 14: The Khasi Students’ Union has blamed the state government for failing to take the traditional institutes and heads into confidence before signing the border agreement with Assam, leading to growing discontent among the border population.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event at 13 Mile, Ri-Bhoi on Monday, KSU president, Lambokstarwell Marngar said traditional bodies and border residents are vexed because the government failed to take them into confidence before arriving at a resolution of the border disputes.
He lamented that the state government even sidelined the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) by not including it in the border talks.
Marngar said the traditional bodies are the ones who possess land documents and proof but the government conveniently chose to sideline them.
Recalling that the government had, on two occasions, rejected the Union’s request for copies of the border reports, Marngar questioned whether “there is something behind the screen that the government is keen on hiding.”
He also pointed out that the six villages that will go to Assam have a total area larger than the 30 villages coming to Meghalaya.
