‘Resolve border row before polls’

SHILLONG, Nov 26: The Save Hynniewtrep Mission (SHM), a conglomerate of NGOs, on Saturday demanded of the NPP-led MDA Government to resolve the long-pending interstate boundary dispute with Assam before the Assembly polls next year.
Addressing a gathering before burning effigies outside the Chief Minister’s official residence, Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) president Robertjune Kharjahrin urged the state government to immediately start Phase-II of the boundary talks with Assam.
Kharjahrin also urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in the dialogues and expedite the process to ensure that the boundary dispute is resolved before elections.
He maintained that 36 MLAs from Khasi and Jaintia Hills should take the lead to ensure that the interstate boundary is resolved.
“I will urge upon Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong not to wait for Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma since he is not much concerned to see this issue resolved. It is time for Tynsong to take upon himself the mantle to take the boundary dispute to its logical end,” Kharjahrin said.
He also slammed the CM over the formation of the regional committees to examine the border issue, while pointing out that the Assam government has not initiated steps to form the committees.
According to Synrem, the groups squarely blame the Mukroh shooting incident on to the lack of seriousness on part of the three governments in Meghalaya, Assam, and the Centre.
He also recalled that the CM had made a commitment that the boundary dispute will be resolve within 45 days. “But this commitment never materialised,” he added.