Shillong MP Vincent H Pala today said that he will raise the inter-state boundary dispute with Assam in the coming session of Parliament, which is to be held next month.
Speaking to Highland Post, Pala, who reached New Delhi today, said that he is preparing all the relevant questions and queries on the issue because he has to submit them to Parliament around two weeks in advance.
Informing that the last time he took up the matter in Parliament the central government said that it has instituted the boundary commission to look into the matter between the two states, he said, “I will be pressing on the issue again and ask the central government to speed up the implementation of the commission that it has set up under a time-bound manner.”
On that occasion he had also tried to organise a meeting with the MPs of Assam to discuss the matter, but this could not come about because of the Covid-19 situation.
“All officials have to be serious on this matter because we need to produce all the records of the notifications and demarcation when we (Meghalaya) obtained statehood that will be submitted to the boundary commission so that the matter can be decided amicably,” Pala said. “There’s a need for a public hearing where everyone will produce documents and records right from the landowners, Revenue Department, etc. We need the aggressive involvement of all the departments including Home and Finance and we need a very strong involvement of the Chief Secretary on the matter.”
On the vexing issue of the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the state next month, the MP said that he is not sure of Shah’s purpose in coming to Meghalaya, but that it is the responsibility of the state government to arrange an official meeting between the Union minister and those individuals and organisations that wish to meet him.
Shah is in high demand by pressure groups and politicians in order to make the case for the Centre to grant the Inner Line Permit (ILP) to Meghalaya.
