By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 13: Ahead of visiting the disputed areas in Block I, Psiar-Khanduli in West Jaintia Hills and Hamren in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday had an informal meeting as part of the confidence-building measures.
The meeting was also attended by Sniawbhalang Dhar, the chairman of West Jaintia Hills regional committee and Deputy Chief Minister; and Tuliram Ronghang, the Chief Executive Member of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council.
“We discussed the ongoing work of the regional committees. There has been a lot of progress. Recently, we could finally agree on the survey post on Hahim,” Sarma told journalists after the meeting which was held at the State Secretariat.
He said they discussed the confidence-building measures among others but as the discussion was unofficial and informal, they would not want to announce any decision.
“The meeting can be treated as one of the confidence-building measures. I would like to request people on both sides of the border to maintain peace and harmony,” Sarma said.
“They must remember that we are working overtime to resolve the dispute. We want to keep the best interests of the people living on the border in our mind. Remain peaceful and help us; we will try to resolve the dispute to the satisfaction of the people of Assam and Meghalaya,” he said.
On the proposed visit to West Jaintia Hills district where tension flared up recently, the Assam CM said, “We quickly want to have a formal meeting. We will be able to take some confidence-building measures and with those, we will visit the border.”
“We thought our visit should not create any tension because after our return, if there is fresh tension, people will blame us. So, we want to quickly evolve some confidence-building measures and that is why, we sat today. We will next have a formal meeting,” Sarma said.
Stating that once the confidence-building measures are formalised, he and Sangma will go to the sites and hold discussions with people.
“When we went to Langpih, there was festivity. So, we want to go to Karbi Anglong and Jaintia Hills with the same kind of festivity,” he said.
To a query, he said the formal meeting will be held in the first or second week of October depending on when Sangma can visit Guwahati.
Talking about the reports submitted by the regional committees of both states, he said, “They are meeting but as I said these six areas are a bit complicated, these regional committees are headed by matured people. They are working very hard and visiting those areas frequently. We believe that everything will be settled in the most peaceful and amicable manner.”
Sangma said they had a brief discussion on the border issue.
“This is an ongoing process and every opportunity we get to discuss the matter helps us to get a better understanding. So, with that objective, we sat together to discuss certain situations, conditions and issues that were coming up and find out how we could possibly move forward. This (meeting) is part of the process. There is no definite outcome. This exercise will continue,” he said.
“We had a positive discussion and we hope that slowly and steadily, we will be able to move towards a resolution and also ensure that there is peace in those areas. We are hopeful that we will be able to resolve issues,” the CM said.
Conrad seeks stronger ties with Assam
Sangma also pitched for more collaborative interventions in the form of seminars and discussions between the district councils of Assam and Meghalaya to strengthen ties and move forward together.
He said this while addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Karbi Hemtun (guesthouse) and laying the foundation for a 100-bed students’ hostel cum commercial building in Shillong with his Assam counterpart and the KAAC chief executive member.
Congratulating the people of Karbi Anglong, Sangma said the community-based guesthouse and hostel would go a long way in cementing ties between Meghalaya and Assam. He took the opportunity to underline the commitment of both states to resolve their boundary disputes amicably.
He highlighted the rich diversity of the tribes and communities in the Northeast, expressing hope that the relationships among these diverse groups would be strengthened. “It is important to celebrate the diversity while cherishing the commonality of culture and traditions in the region,” he said.
Pointing out the similarities between the district councils of both states, Sangma said it is important for the members of the councils to frequently meet and discuss issues and support each other as they are working to safeguard the identity and culture of the indigenous groups.
He praised Sarma for ensuring equitable development across Assam.
“In Assam, different communities and different sections of society in different areas are getting the kind of support and attention they deserve,” he said, commending Sarma’s commitment to inclusive development.
Sarma echoed the significance of the “historic” day and thanked the KAAC for establishing the guesthouse to cater to the people from Karbi Anglong in Shillong. He also thanked Sangma for gracing the occasion and highlighting the collaborative spirit of the two states.