The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (COMSO), on the occasion of Meghalaya’s 49th statehood day, organised a candlelight vigil in tribute of those who were instrumental in achieving a separate state carved out of Assam.
COMSO Chairman, Robertjune Kharjahrin, also said that the motive of the vigil was in protest against the failures of successive governments to solve the long pending boundary dispute with Assam, inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, solution to the Them Ïew Mawlong issue and also to strengthen the Sixth Schedule. He also lamented that even after more than one year since the Meghalaya Assembly passed a resolution urging the Centre to implement the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state, the government of India is yet to act on it.
“Despite Meghalaya achieving 49th year of statehood, many villages are yet to benefit from government schemes, there is no electricity, no roads, no potable water supply, no health infrastructure and no education institutions,” Kharjahrin said. “The lackadaisical attitude and lack of political will (to solve the border issue) have affected those living in the border villages. Therefore, we have decided to demand from the state government that this dispute be resolved before Meghalaya achieves its 50th year of statehood.”
