Shillong, Sep 21: The agreement for maintaining peace and tranquility between Meghalaya and Assam is not being implemented on the ground, Cabinet Minister and Jirang MLA Sosthenes Sohtun flagged on Monday after visiting Maikhuli village.
Sohtun rushed to Maikhuli to take stock after Assam residents allegedly erected fencing and blocked village roads on Saturday, triggering tension along the inter-state border.
During the visit, village leaders showed him the fencing put up by the Assam side – which was later dismantled by women of Maikhuli on Saturday. Locals alleged it was an attempt to claim the Maikhuli field.
Sohtun met village leaders and residents, heard their grievances and expressed concern over the hardships faced by them. He assured to take up the matter with the state government and said he would lead Maikhuli leaders to meet Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma for a detailed briefing.
He said he would urge Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner to take up the issue with his Assam counterpart to stop the alleged encroachment and restore peace in the area.
The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) led by Chairman Roy Kupar Synrem also visited the village.
Synrem lauded Maikhuli residents for protecting their land and slammed the state government for not taking the border issue seriously.
He said the state has lost lives in Langpih and Mukroh due to border disputes and questioned if the government wants to see another bloodshed in Maikhuli.
“Fifty-four years we got our own state. But the saddest part is we do not yet know which is the boundary that divides Meghalaya and Assam,” he said.
He blamed the lackadaisical attitude of the government from past till date. “We are being fooled time and again and we know that in two years when the election comes, the same people will go to the people to say we will solve the border issue,” he added.
