Shillong, Dec 6: PHE Minister Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar on Monday expressed that the ‘give and take policy’ to resolve the vexed Assam-Meghalaya boundary dispute will not work and that the only way to settle this issue is by respecting the ‘will of the people’ living in the border areas.

“The wish of the regional committee in the district I am heading, we wish both state governments should respect the will of the people. I personally feel if we want to have peaceful settlement, there is no other factor, ways and means to settle except respecting the will of the people staying in the border villages,” he told reporters on Monday.

Tongkhar is heading the Regional Committee for West Khasi Hills District.

“If we go according to the will of the people, it is not that we give or we take or they give or they take… it is the wish of the people staying in those areas so give and take policy of both the states… I don’t think it will work in that (resolving the issue),” he said.

At the same time, he informed that the Regional Committee headed by him is ready with its final report to be submitted to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, which he hopes to submit on December 8, 2021.

The Mawkyrwat legislator said the report was finalized during a meeting of the regional committee at Nongstoin on November 29, one day before the last date (November 30) fixed by the government. “We have managed to complete the report on that day (November 29) but because the Chief Minister was not in station we have not been able to submit the report till date,” he added.

State level committee meet soon

Tongkhar also said the meeting of the state level committee will soon be held to study the reports submitted by the three regional committees constituted for finding solutions to resolve the six areas of difference shared with Assam.

“The meeting of the state level committee will be held first once reports by all the regional committees are submitted after which the Chief Ministers’ level talk between Assam and Meghalaya will take place,” he added.

Hoping for resolving border issue by Christmas

Tongkhar also revealed that both the Chief Ministers have expressed their desire to resolve the differences as a Christmas gift to the people residing in the border within this month.

“Both CMs have expressed that they will be very happy if we can give it as a Christmas gift to the people by settling down the differences within this month itself. Of course it depends on Assam also how much they have done whether they are able to submit the report to the Assam CM,” he said.

“We still have 24 days left this month, we hope it will be a big thing if we can give it as a Christmas gift to the people of the state by settling down these differences that we have,” he stated.

If the report will also be shared with their Assam counterpart, Tongkhar said not necessarily but the reports of the joint inspection by both the states should be tallied. “Our reports should be tallied. But the details of the report will be sent only to our chief minister,” he said.