Shillong, Oct 10: Deputy Chief Minister and chairman of the Jaintia Hills regional committee, Sniawbhalang Dhar, today assured the public that the situation along the disputed border with Assam remains under control following the deadly incident that occurred on Thursday.
Dhar said that instructions have been given to the Deputy Commissioner of West Jaintia Hills to coordinate with all concerned authorities to ensure that the situation does not escalate further. “As of now, the situation is under control and hopefully things will return to normal,” he said.
A clash between villagers from the two states erupted yesterday after villagers from the Meghalaya side tried to harvest paddy. One man from Assam was killed in the incident.
Dhar clarified that the incident was not related to the interstate border issue but rather connected to harvesting activities. “This has never happened before. We are monitoring the situation closely,” Dhar stated.
On whether the matter will be taken up at the ground level, the Deputy Chief Minister said there are no such plans at present. “Political-level talks between the Chief Ministers are already happening,” he added.
Speaking on the status of the area, Dhar explained that while some parts along the Khanduli-Psiar belt fall under disputed zones, the location of Thursday’s incident does not. “All along this area, right from Khanduli and Psiar, some areas are disputed and some are not. The place where the incident took place yesterday is not in a disputed area, maybe just a few pockets. It will depend on the regional committees of both states to decide,” Dhar said.
