Although the border dispute between Meghalaya and Assam has existed for decades without resolution, United Democratic Party (UDP) general secretary Jemino Mawthoh is confident that it can be resolved during the term of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, of which the UDP is a part.
“We are happy that, after so many decades, the government of India is very keen to solve the long-pending boundary dispute between Meghalaya and Assam. We hope that what could not be resolved under the regime of the Congress will be fixed under the present dispensation,” Mawthoh told Highland Post.
“Let us not miss the bus this time but use our rational and realistic thinking and take advantage of the sincerity the Centre is showing to solve this long-pending issue for the interest of the people.”
Successive governments both in the central and state levels have come and gone, several meetings at the level of Chief Secretary have taken place with no success and all this has resulted in agitations and skirmishes and loss of precious lives among people of the border areas.
“If we put ourselves in their position, we will understand how hard these sensitive issues are and if there are always apprehensions that it cannot be done, then there will be no end to this dispute and it will be pointless to sit across the table to discuss these issues,” he said.
Borders have been redrawn in the past, Mawthoh pointed out; more than 600 square miles of territory in the erstwhile Jowai sub-division were transferred to districts that have remained with Assam.
“From 1947 to 1951 lots of things have changed and it is not an easy task to justify everything now but most important is mediation, understanding and mutual respect among the different communities in the border areas. The leaders of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland must look at the border rationally, logically and also from a humanistic point of view since we are all under one country. If the North East states cannot resolve these issues among themselves, it reflects badly on the democratic functioning of the entire country,” he maintained.
