Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has once again asserted that there was no question of changing the boundary agreement signed with Assam.
“Revisiting the MoU doesn’t arise,” Sangma while replying to questions raised in the Assembly today by Nongpoh MLA Mayralborn Syiem and other MLAs.
On the question raised by legislators if the government will try to get back the villages that Meghalaya has lost to Assam under the agreement, Sangma however said that maximum of villages have come to Meghalaya.
He added that those villages have been given to Assam as per the will of the residents.
The chief minister also said that the MoU was signed not only on the basis of the recommendations of the three regional committees.
“The final outcome was based on multiple factors. We looked at past records and Sixth Schedule, traditional maps and others. Public opinion was taken where large public hearings took place. Apart from contiguous areas, we looked at the overall aspect of giving proper administration to those areas if it was near to Assam or Meghalaya,” Sangma said.
He also informed the House that the government during the first phase of boundary talks to resolve the six areas of differences, held 28 meetings, conducted 18 field visits and held nearly four meetings every day.
Sangma also said that he had seven meetings with KHADC and JHADC members and traditional heads.
“I had two meetings with political parties, once on December 15, 2021 and another on March 7, 2022. I also had two meetings with the NGOs, the first one on December 15, 2021 and the second one on February 23, 2022,” he informed.
Sangma also informed the House that the list for the new regional committee for the second phase of boundary talks has been finalised.
Interestingly, the question hour on the MoU signed between Meghalaya and Assam today saw several legislators participating and the Speaker allowed 50 minutes time for the topic.
