As unpalatable as it may be, former IAS officer Toki Blah has said that give and take between Meghalaya and Assam is the only way to solve their longstanding border dispute.
Speaking to Highland Post recently, Blah said that the boundary issue was neglected by the founders of Meghalaya, which was carved out of Assam in 1972. “If we keep looking only from the Meghalaya viewpoint and not from the Assam viewpoint as well, then we will not reach anywhere in the boundary dispute settlement,” he said.
Blah was confident that Assam would not be so cruel as to take over land belonging to private individuals once the border deal comes into force and the land in question comes under Assam’s jurisdiction. However, he did admit that the people would no longer fall under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
“If we want peace between the two states in the border areas there must be the policy of give and take. Otherwise, if we say we will not give an inch of our land then this issue will return to the status quo and the quarrel and bloodshed will persist,” he said, adding that political leaders need to come up with solutions of their own if they are opposed to compromise.
“To base the settlement on documents, land records, maps, etc of our Khasi states has a very appealing, sentimental value for us but when we look at the reorganization of the two states, which took place in 1972, it was done on administrative grounds, not on natural boundaries,” he said, while admitting that while give and take is the only option, the manner in which that is carried out is a different thing altogether.
