Boundary dispute with Assam
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Opposition NCP on Wednesday lambasted the State Government saying that it does not have any ‘political will’ to resolve long-pending boundary dispute with Assam.
Raising the issue during the Question Hour in the Assembly, the leader of Opposition Conrad K Sangma said, “The government is not serious about sorting out this particular problem (inter-state boundary dispute) with Assam even though it has admitted that the Assam Chief Minister resides on Meghalaya land.”
“The boundary dialogue between Meghalaya and Assam governments has not made any progress whatsoever,” Sangma said.
“I strongly feel that the Government should initiate steps to take all the land which belong to the State,” the leader of Opposition said.
Echoing a similar view, another NCP legislator James K Sangma said, “The Chief Minister does not have the courage and sincerity to solve this problem.”
He also referred to a Press statement of Assam Environment and Forest Minister, Rockybul Hussain where he said that Assam Government would never hand over any land as sought by the Meghalaya.
In his reply Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma said the issue was not specific only to that particular plot of land.
According to him the issue pertains to 12 areas of differences. “Therefore, when the effort is on it is not supposed to be specific only for that land,” he said. Documents, records and maps had been given to the Assam government as evidential proof, he said adding that the Assam government was examining the matter. Dr Sangma also said it was agreed upon between the two States that no new settlement would be allowed to take place in the disputed areas, while developmental activities should be allowed to continue.
“In pursuance of the resolution adopted by the August House on the March 16, 2011 for constitution of a Boundary Commission, the matter had been taken up with the Government of India at the level of the Chief Minister and the Union Home Minister on different occasions” the Chief Minister said. Rejecting the Opposition’s allegation that the State Government had done nothing on the boundary issue, Dr. Sangma said vexed boundary issue could be solved mutually and new strategy would be adopted to push issue forward. On the contentious issue of Langpih, Dr Sangma said it was not that the Assam Government was encroaching the state’s land. “It is not like that, let us not send a wrong message to the people of the State,” he said.