HP NEWS SERVICE
Khliehriat, Jul 3: The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of East Jaintia Hills district, F M Dopth today convened a meeting with representatives of border villages in the district after reports that they are willing to be part of Bangladesh.
In this meeting which was held at the DC’s office in Khliehriat today, the headmen informed Dopth that their grievances have been misconstrued and misrepresented.
“We only wanted to express the hardship in terms of road connectivity, communication and lack of medical facilities in our villages which lie near the international border with Bangladesh,” the spokesman of the three villages, Kynjaimon Amse said.
The headmen also said that their intention was only to seek support for their requirements and that their demand is for the improvement of infrastructure in these villages of Lahalein, Huroi and Hingaria.
Having heard the clarification from the headmen, Dopth and the Superintendent of Police of the district, Sylvester Nongtnger assured that they will be visiting these villages in the coming days to get a first-hand account of the situation there.
Angered and frustrated with both the State and Central governments for not constructing a viable road despite several petitions, the residents of Hingaria, Huroi, Lahalein and Lejri villages in the East Jaintia Hills region have recently decided to seek assistance from the Government of Bangladesh to come to their rescue.
Residents of the four villages said that it is better for the State government and Centre to give the four villages and its 5000 plus population to Bangladesh if the government is not willing to construct the Rymbai-Bataw-Borkhat-Sonapur road which presently is in a deplorable condition.
