Hopes dented: CM says MoU won’t be revoked

SHILLONG, Sep 1: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday made it crystal clear that there was no question of revoking the memorandum of understanding signed by the Meghalaya and Assam chief ministers to resolve the interstate border dispute in six of the 12 areas of difference.
“The MoU has been signed and there is no question of changing it,” Sangma said on the sideline of an event in Ri-Bhoi.
The chief minister’s assertion comes as a body blow to pressure groups and border residents who have been piling pressure on the government to revisit the border agreement signed by Conrad and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma on March 29.
Incidentally, the CM admitted that certain minor issues need to be ironed out and said that the government will find out if some adjustments can be made. While refraining from elaborating further, Sangma maintained that in principle whatever has been decided cannot be revoked.
“We had decided to go ahead and resolve this issue since we have seen how people from both sides have suffered for the past 50 years. A lot of governments in the past have tried but no one took concrete steps to address this long-pending issue,” he said.
He asserted that it was not possible to find the perfect solution and added that the government was trying to find the best possible solution to the border problem.
“If you look at the entire MoU, the state of Meghalaya has gained in a large number of places. Most of the villages where we have put our claim have come to the state,” Sangma said.
Citing an example, the CM said critical locations like the cemetery, graveyard and the football ground at Maikhuli in Ri-Bhoi district have come to Meghalaya.