Shillong, Nov 18: Minister in-charge Public Health Engineering (PHE) Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar has shared that Meghalaya has ‘maximum’ to benefit from the current efforts to resolve the 49-year-old boundary dispute with Assam.
Tongkhar is also the chairman of the regional committee for West Khasi Hills. Tongkhar and his team along with the Assam regional committee had jointly visited the three out of six areas of difference, which include: Tarabari (4.69 sq km), Gizang (13.53 sq km) and Hahim (3.51 sq kms).
“I can assure you that Meghalaya will gain the maximum,” he told reporters on Thursday and added that lot of villages will remain with the State. “In Athiabari area as well as Hahim sector… not less than 20-25 villages which are dominated by the Khasi and Garo people (will remain with Meghalaya),” he said.
The regional committees have been constituted by both the Meghalaya and Assam governments after the two chief ministers – Conrad K Sangma and Himanta Biswa Sarma – had on August 6 resolved to find an amicable solution to end the dispute in the six of the twelve areas of difference shared by the two states.
The other three areas of difference include Boklapara (1.57 sq kms), Khanapara-Pilangkata (2.29 sq kms) and Ratacherra (11.20 sq kms).
The regional committees have been asked to submit reports to the respective chief ministers by November 30.
When asked, the minister said the regional committees will submit reports along with recommendations to the respective chief ministers.
“I don’t think we can give any wrong report or mislead the CM or mislead the state government of both the states. We will report based on our findings and facts on the ground,” he said.
“Once this is done, the two chief ministers will again sit to discuss based on the reports submitted by the regional committees,” he added.
On Tuesday, the chief ministers of the two states jointly visited Langpih, which is one of the twelve areas of difference, as a mark of confidence building measures.
When asked about the fate of Langpih, Tongkhar said Langpih will be taken up in the second phase of the exercise. He, however, said the people of Langpih especially the Khasis and Garos have already expressed their minds on the issue.
“They cannot even wait till we initiate or till we start the process by starting on their own. They have already sent us their resolution without asking them… there is nothing wrong in doing so,” he added.
Recalling the joint inspection carried at Tarabari, Tongkhar said, “The people of Tarabari, which is governed by the Assam state, have given us a surprise by raising their hands and saying we all want to be a part of Meghalaya. Even though it is difficult to say anything, I told them we will try to respect the will of the people.”
“I am happy to see that even the chief minister of Assam when he commented the same that people’s willingness will be respected – so let’s see even though that is not final, it depends, we have to sit again across the table (after the reports are submitted),” he said.
He further opined that the border dispute has been lingering for 50 years and the people of Meghalaya have struggled a lot but it is time to resolve this issue once and for all.
