Will of the people residing in border areas is key: Tongkhar

SHILLONG: 

The regional committee on border disputes in charge of West Khasi Hills, stated in its observation on Wednesday that both Meghalaya and Assam governments should consider the will of the people residing in the border areas before taking a call on the issue. 

 

After inspecting the four disputed areas in the district to assess the ground situation, the committee urged both the states to respect the interest and will of the border residents, said the chairperson of the committee and Public Health Engineering (PHE) minister, Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar.

 

During his visit to the disputed areas, Tongkhar said that many years have gone by but the border issue persists. "We need the cooperation of all the stakeholders in this regard and I hope that we will find a solution to this problem only with the cooperation of the residents, headmen, traditional chiefs, and NGOs, this problem," Tongkhar said.

 

The committee will be compiling a report on Wednesday’s visit and submitted it to the Meghalaya Chief Minister as well as to his counterpart, Himanta Biswa Sarma, during the second round of talks in Guwahati on August 6. 

 

Last month, three regional committees were formed to study the interstate boundary issues with Assam during the meetings with Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, and Sarma in Shillong. The committees, one each for West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, and East & West Jaintia Hills districts are headed by cabinet ministers with MLAs, MDCs, and other stakeholders as members. 

 

"Yes, we feel that the give and take policy discussed between the two chief ministers looks plausible but the local leaders here are open to more suggestions," added the PHE minister.

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