SHILLONG, Aug 16: Cabinet Minister and chairman of the West Khasi Hills regional committee on border Renikton L Tongkhar on Tuesday asserted Meghalaya got 21 of the 23 disputed villages in phase one of the border resolution process and the decision was based solely on the “willingness of the people”.
“Out of 23 villages that we have settled we got 21 and we lost two and that too based on the will of the people residing in those villages,” he added.
Tongkhar was reacting to the massive rally organised in Nongstoin recently in protest against the border pact signed by Meghalaya and Assam. The protest rally was called by the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) to support the Hima Nonglang, who stands to lose areas in Athiabari and Malangkona to Assam.
Refusing to comment further, Tongkhar said: “During the joint inspection, the residents of the two villages stated that they wanted to be part for Assam.”
Pointed out that protests are happening even as the two states get ready to sit for talks to resolve the differences in the six remaining areas, he said, “It is not going to be an easy task. It will be difficult but it will be possible.”
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.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had earlier said that 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.
