The Jaiñtia National Council (JNC) has demanded that traditional leaders, such as Dollois and Waheh Shnongs be made members of the regional committee that is considering areas disputed between Meghalaya and Assam in the Jaiñtia Hills area.
The JNC also expressed disappointment that the Jaiñtia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) has been unable or unwilling to take stronger action against the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) with regard to the latter’s check gate that it maintains at Khanduli.
“This clearly shows that the KAAC does not respect the regional committee for the border areas. We are surprised to see that the JHADC is just watching silently while the two states process Phase 2 of the border dispute,” a release from the JNC stated today.
It added that the disruption to the lives and livelihood of the Khasi-Jaiñtia community in and around Khanduli caused by the check gate shows that the KAAC wants to create “war”.
The inclusion of Dollois and Waheh Shnongs would be helpful to ensure that the negotiations are carried out in the interests of the local people, the JNC said, as the agreement that concluded Phase 1 was “against the willingness” of the public.
