SHILLONG, June 14: The recent skirmishes in disputed areas on the interstate border between Meghalaya and Assam have been perpetrated by “miscreants” who do not belong to Assam, Cabinet Minister Pijush Hazarika said here on Wednesday.
Virtually giving a clean chit to his state, Hazarika said miscreants create disturbances in the border areas.
“The miscreants don’t belong to our state. We are friendly and have good relations with Meghalaya,” the Assam minister said when asked about the recent violence in some areas in West Jaintia Hills District.
Stating that people of Assam have high regards for citizens of Meghalaya as well as other parts of the Northeastern states, he batted for an amicable resolution to the pending border disputes.
“I am confident it will be solved within a short period of time,” Hazarika said.
The Assam minister, who heads the regional committee for West Karbi Anglong District, was here to attend a meeting with members of the regional committee for West Jaintia Hills District which is headed by Cabinet Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar.
Dhar said the committee headed by him would submit its report to the state government by August this year.
The two regional committees discussed at length the way forward in areas of difference under Block-I and Khanduli-Psiar.
Dhar said that following the meeting, the committee will now work on the formula to resolve the dispute. He said members of the two committees would pay a visit to the disputed areas.
As the committee is planning to submit its report by August this year, it will hold another meeting in July, Dhar said.
Asked if there would be a “give-and-take” policy similar to what had happened in the first phase of the dispute resolution process, he maintained that the committees will decide on the matter only after listen to the people residing in those areas.
The meeting was also attended by the deputy commissioners of West Jaintia Hills and West Karbi Anglong districts, members of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and also village headmen from both the sides.
