SHILLONG, March 15: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has defended the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Meghalaya and Assam governments on the six of the 12 areas of differences along the interstate boundary taken up in the first phase.
“We have managed to find a win-win solution for all. I am hopeful that we will be able to come to a final conclusion of the first six areas and it will be a historic moment for the state,” he said while replying to the special motion moved by Opposition Chief Whip, George B Lyngdoh on Tuesday.
The chief minister also informed the House that he and his Assam counterpart are likely to meet Union Home Minister, Amit Shah in New Delhi on March 27.
“We have been intimated verbally that there will be a meeting on March 27 to take this MoU to a final agreement. We are still awaiting the written confirmation and invitation for this meeting from the MHA. But the verbal communication has already come to us,” the CM said.
Sangma said the MoU will yield the principles for the next phase of discussion on the remaining six areas of differences that are more complicated.
He informed the House that the dominant criteria for arriving at the agreement were the will of the people of the area and the overall ethnicity of the local population.
He said there are some members who suggested that the state government needs to go slow on this issue.
“I do appreciate the views of the concerned leaders that we find a solution by taking all the aspects into consideration. The points which they have raised are valid,” Sangma said.
The Chief Minister continued: “At the end of the day we have been on this issue for the last 50 years. While we sit here and debate on this whole issue. Every day and every night the people residing in the border areas are suffering. We had to find a way to reach a final conclusion.”
He also stated that it is the duty of the government and the duty of each and every member of this house to recognise those difficulties of the people at the border and also ensure they move in a committed manner to find a solution to this very long-pending issue.
Sangma said the discussion on this issue for the past many years was based on the documentation and the maps that were given.
“Though the historical perspective was important, we needed to ensure that broader consultation and sense was brought to the overall discussion and the process for a final resolution,” he said.
He also said there was some concern raised about the Garo-inhabited village of Malchapara going to Assam. “When we went to Malchapara, it was just the other way round. The people of Malchapara, though Garos, overwhelming said that they want to be with Assam. We came to a conclusion on the basis of that,” Sangma said.
On the other hand, the eight Garo villages under the Tarabari area overwhelmingly wanted to be with Meghalaya. “These villages under Tarabari are under the administrative control of Assam. But it was the wish of the people which finally convinced the leadership of Assam that they should be part of Meghalaya,” Sangma said.
The people of Gohanimara and Amagaon villages under the Gizang area, too, wanted to be with Meghalaya, he added.
“If we were to say today that Malchapara is Garo area by relying on documents signed by the people separately after the public hearing, Assam will come up with documents claiming Gohanimara and Amagaon want to be with Assam. This way, the process will never end,” Sangma observed.
He also said there was concern about some areas such as the ASTC transit camp in Khanapara.
“This area is about 20,000 or 30,000 square feet. Actually, Assam had wanted the entire 0.08 sq. km of the land but we negotiated. Finally, we were able to come to a conclusion where a plot of 0.05 sq. km will come to Meghalaya and the remaining land will go to Assam, which includes the ASTC transit camp,” the Chief Minister said.
Admitting that it is difficult to find a perfect solution, Sangma said the state government has tried its best to take this matter to its logical conclusion keeping the interest of the people living in those areas in mind.