The people who live in the villages along the disputed Meghalaya-Assam border should be the ones to decide which state they want to be a part of, cabinet minister Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar said today.
Tongkhar, who is also the Mawkyrwat MLA, informed that the West Khasi Hills boundary committee set up by the Meghalaya government will have its first meeting on August 2 in Nongstoiñ.
This week the cabinet decided to form three regional committees on the Meghalaya-Assam boundary dispute. One will be for West Khasi Hills, one for Ri-Bhoi and one for East and West Jaiñtia Hills. Tongkhar heads the WKH committee, which also comprises Mawthadraishan MLA Brolding Nongsiej, Rambrai-Jyrngam MLA Kimfa S Marbaniang and Rambrai-Jyrngam MDC Bajop Pyngrope as members.
The regional committee will visit areas of difference in the district, like Tarabari, Gizang and Hahim. It will then submit a report on the number of villages, their population and ethnicity of the people in the areas of difference.
Requesting the cooperation of all stakeholders, Tongkhar said that the government wants to take everybody along to resolve the long pending boundary dispute with Assam.
“The decisions that we will take will be for the betterment of Meghalaya. We will try to find out ways and means to solve the problem,” he said.
On the recent intrusion of Assam police into Ïongkhuli village in Ri-Bhoi, Tongkhar described this as “unfortunate”.
“That is why it is important to be clear on our border. Because until then this claim and counterclaim will continue to occur,” he said, adding that boundary pillars are necessary to permanently demarcate the territory of each state.
