By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 17: As the residents of Malchapara continue to request the state government to reconsider its decision on making the village a part of Assam, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday said the decision was made in deference to the wishes of majority of the locals.
He said when a public hearing was conducted there, majority of the people had said they wanted to be with Assam as in similar cases in Tarabari and Hahim. “That was the basis on which we decided. We cannot change the yardstick for Malchapara as we had applied the same yardstick while deciding on other areas such as Tarabari, Amagaon, Gizang etc,” the CM said.
He said the fact that majority of the people of Malchapara wanted to be with Assam was captured in a video. At the same time, however, he said since concerns have been raised, he can once again discuss the matter but he is not sure about the outcome.
Disclosing that the Home Ministry is scheduled to meet both states at 4.30 pm on March 27 in New Delhi, Sangma hoped it will be the final meeting for them to resolve the dispute in six areas.
He said the concerns on the agreement have been discussed with the traditional heads on multiple occasions. He said the details of the discussions between the two states are not hidden from anybody.
On if the concerns will be addressed through the withdrawal of certain decisions, the CM said the government tried its best and it needs to move forward.
“We will try to take up the concerns on March 27 and we have moved closer to the best and perfect solution,” he added.