The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council is dissatisfied with the State government for not taking it on board before signing the boundary pact with Assam.
The district council and the traditional heads today held a border council meeting to discuss on the way ahead in the backdrop that the pact cannot be revisited.
Executive member in charge revenue, Jambor War chaired the meeting which was attended by Deputy Chief Executive Member (CEM) Gigur Myrthong, former CEM and Congress MDC PN Syiem, nominated MDC and veteran politician Bindo Lanong, Executive Member in charge of Elaka, traditional heads from Jirang, Mylliem, Nongspung, Nonglang and Jyrngam.
Lanong said the MOU was signed without consulting the stakeholders, landowners, traditional institutions or the district council and is rigged with lapses.
Informing that the committee will meet again on April 26 where they will take a final call on the signed pact, he said, “This has to be studied properly based on the documents we have, the historical facts, etc. If we go by what the state government is doing it will not bring satisfaction and neither a solution,” he said.
On the state government’s statement that the agreement cannot be revisited, Lanong said, “We will not quarrel with the government but we will stand by the documents that include historical facts, maps etc.”
He maintained that the concern ministry and the judiciary will also not base the agreement on the basis of statements, but on facts and figures.
The MoU was signed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi recently to resolve the boundary disputes in six areas of differences.
According to the draft resolution of the two states, 18.51 sq km of the disputed 36.79 sq km of land in the six areas will go to Assam and the remaining 18.28 sq km to Meghalaya.
However, a section of residents of border areas have demanded its review with Maikhuli village in Ri Bhoi contemplating to move court. The residents of two villages, Malchapara and Salbari, which will be part of Assam after the pact is ratified by the Parliament, said they would not relent without a fight.
