SHILLONG, June 27: The opposition UDP has confronted NPP which recently toppled the UDP-led Executive Committee (EC) and formed a new EC in the Council, seeking its stand on the second phase of interstate boundary talks between Meghalaya and Assam government.
Moving a motion on the matter during the ongoing summer session of KHADC here on Monday, UDP MDC from Mawthadraishan Jambor War said that the people wish to know the stand of the present EC.
He was quick to highlight that the former EC had completed all the ground work and exercise insofar as collecting documents which defines the boundaries of the areas under the council was concerned. “But sadly, the NPP-led MDA 1.0 Government did not take the documents which were submitted by the council. Instead, the government went ahead to sign the MoU based on the documents which were submitted to the Assam government in 2011,” War, who is the former Executive Member, Elaka, said.
The UDP MDC pointed out that the Council has deliberated over long-pending interstate boundary dispute in every session in house for the past four years.
He however added that he sees no effort on part of the NPP-led MDA 2.0 government to expedite the talks.
He underlined the efforts of the previous EC led by former CEM Titosstarwell Chyne in assisting the state government during the first phase of the boundary talks.
“Even before the boundary talks had begun, the Council (previous EC) had constituted the boundary committee in 2020. We have worked hard to collect the land documents and other relevant documents to prove our claim on the areas of the Council along the interstate border,” he said.
The MDC lamented that state government overlooked the KHADC, Himas, Raids and Dorbar Shnongs while finalising the MoU in Phase-I of the boundary talks. “We have lost our land in Phase I. If the state government follows the same policy, we are again going to lose our land in Phase II,” War rued.
Block-I concerns
The 36 Khasi-Pnar villages falling under Block-I have urged upon the state government that they want Block-I to be re-transferred to Meghalaya.
A delegation of the Hynniewtrep Border Dispute Redressal Forum (HBDRF), which was led by JHADC MDC from Barato, Aibor Shadap, had on Monday raised this issue in a meeting with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the CM, Shadap said that they have urged the state government to pressurise the Assam government during second phase so as to ensure that all 36 villages under Block-I would be re-transferred to Meghalaya.
“All these villages for the past 70 years were forcefully aligned with the West Karbi Anglong district. But now all these villages want to be re-transferred to Meghalaya,” the JHADC MDC from Barato said.
He said that it is encouraging to see that both the Meghalaya and Assam governments are working towards finding a permanent solution to the long-standing interstate boundary dispute.
Meanwhile, chairman of the forum Chandami Sungoh said that the CM told them that members of the regional committee of Jaintia Hills would visit the areas in Block-I. Conrad also said that both the CMs of Meghalaya and Assam will also be visiting the areas. “We have not been informed about the dates of the visits,” Sungoh said.
According to him, the CM also suggested that they should come out in large numbers to express the desire to be part of Meghalaya.
“We have not been informed about the dates of the visits,” Sungoh said.
According to him, the CM also suggested that they should come out in large to express on their desire to be part of Meghalaya.
He further said that they fully understand that the solution to the long pending dispute should be as per the wish of the people.