Border talks 2.0 after August 15

SHILLONG, Aug 9: Despite opposition from some quarters to the boundary agreement signed between Meghalaya and Assam on the six “less-complicated” areas in march, the two states have decided to move forward to resolve the dispute in the remaining six areas.
A process towards this effect will begin after August 15.
Disclosing this on Tuesday after holding a meeting with the representatives of Raid Nongtung under which 18 villages will be taken up in the second phase, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said both states are committed to finding a solution to the remaining six locations.
He said he had a detailed meeting with his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma on the issue of the resumption of discussions for the second phase. He said they would meet in Guwahati shortly after the Independence Day celebration.
Both states will again constitute regional committees which will visit the disputed areas, assess the ground situation and seek the views and opinions of the residents.
Admitting that the second phase will be much more complicated, Sangma said both governments will have to involve all the stakeholders in the discussions. The Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council will also be involved, he said.
“We will involve stakeholders, traditional heads, district councils and more importantly, the public in general to be able to figure out how we could reach a possible solution,” he said.
He welcomed the idea of implementing developmental schemes in the border areas for the benefit of the residents.
The representatives of Raid Nongtung, which is a conglomerate of headmen of Khasi villages in Block-II, sought Sangma’s intervention for the transfer of 18 of the 34 villages to Meghalaya.
“We plead with the government of Assam to have a big heart as we are not demanding the entire Block-II area but merely 18 numbers of Khasi villages. Let us be under Meghalaya where we can flourish and live peacefully,” a memorandum submitted by the conglomerate to Sangma said.
It asked the government to set up a police camp in the border areas pending solution to the border row in Block II and other five areas.
Sangma told reporters he informed the delegation that the state government is committed to resolving the border dispute.
“That is the reason why we have moved forward in six of the 12 areas and signed the memorandum of understanding after detailed consultations with the people. People’s will is what has led to the resolution of the dispute in the first six locations,” he said.