Shillong, July 27: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday informed that he has taken up the incident of clash at Iongkhuli village in Ri Bhoi district with his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma and both have decided that there should not be any further instigation and try to maintain peace.
“I had talked with the Assam Chief Minister yesterday and today also…we both have decided that there should not be any further instigation and we should try to maintain peace and therefore, both sides have been asked to refrain and restrain,” Sangma told reporters.
The Chief Minister said that he had asked the Jirang legislator, Sosthenes Sohtun to make a field visit. “He (MLA) has gone today (Tuesday) to ground zero and he has met the people and he will be submitting a report to me very shortly,” he said.
Sangma said that he was also in touch with the Deputy Commissioner of Ri Bhoi even as Chief Secretary has also spoken to his counterpart in Assam.
“Accordingly the DC of Ri Bhoi is also in constant touch with the DC of Kamrup and other officials. The matter as of now is under control and we also urge everybody on both sides that we should maintain peace,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that both the state governments are working towards finding an amicable solution to resolve the long pending boundary issue.
“…but in the meantime, we ask and request all citizens to refrain from both sides, both the administration to also refrain from any kinds of aggressive movement so that we are able to move forward in our discussion and find an amicable solution to this very long pending issue between the two states,” he stated.
Asked on the demand for setting up of police outposts in the border areas, the Chief Minister informed that the government had already finalized many locations for the purpose.
“New police outposts will be coming up but as I said we will also have to see the sensitivity of the entire matter and see the locations where we will put it up so it will also depend on the talks we will be finalizing the locations,” he said.
Sangma however said “but some of the locations which are very much in the borders and there is no differences and no disputes in those areas we will be going ahead with those outposts.”
“As I said in the most sensitive areas, once the talks move forward and once we are able to amicably resolve it because outposts if we create and it just lead to more tension and more aggression and more differences in the situation then it doesn’t serve the purpose of what we are looking out. Therefore, we will see all those factors and we will take a call on specifically the sensitive locations that are there,” he added.
