SHILLONG, Oct 27: The process to resolve boundary disputes between Meghalaya and Assam in the remaining six areas in the second phase is set to get momentum.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday said the regional border committees, which held one round of talks, could not move forward due to puja and Diwali.
He said the committees of the two states would try to meet each other in the next few weeks. As in the first phase, he will also meet his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The dispute in the first six areas was resolved through the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the two states.
Both states have already constituted three regional committees each for the second and final phase of border talks.
The chief executive member of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council and the CEM and executive members of both the KHADC and the JHADC have been co-opted as members in the three committees of Meghalaya.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Cabinet Ministers Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar and Sniawbhalang Dhar head the Ri-Bhoi, West Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills regional committees, respectively.
The deputy commissioner of the respective districts will be the member-convenor of the committees.
They will examine the present status of the dispute in Langpih (West Khasi Hills), Borduar, Nongwah-Mawtamur, Desh Doomreah and Block-II (Ri-Bhoi) and Block-I and Psiar-Khanduli (West Jaintia Hills).
They will also cross-reference and verify the names of villages (sub-villages) claimed by Meghalaya with the names of villages as per records of the Assam government, establish the geographical location of the villages and their contiguity, examine the population of villages as per census records, including ethnicity.
They will also visit each of the villages and interact with communities living in the villages, including elected representatives of autonomous district councils and other stakeholders to learn about the perception of the people living in the area.
