Residents of Maikhuli village along the Assam-Meghalaya border has expressed their unwillingness to part with their oldest Mawmari fish pond, which according to them is their source of income.
The residents led by the rangbah shnong of the village, Kleden Sangma and member of the Meghalaya People’s Social Organisation (MPSO) has decided not to accept the border deal between Meghalaya and Assam as the fishing pond will be given to Assam.
The rangbah shnong expressed his unhappiness and unwillingness with the statement made by the Chief Minister and said that the dorbar has received a notification from the border regional committee that the fishing pond will be handed over to Assam.
“We will not part with the fishing pond because it was constructed by the villagers with their own hands from the past. It is a special source of income for us because from this we could pay salaries to the teachers of our private UP and secondary school in the village,” Sangma said.
He said the fish pond is part and parcel of Meghalaya and they do not fall under disputed areas. “The retaining wall for the pond was also constructed in 2020 through the MNREGS scheme implemented by the Meghalaya government. So how can we allow this source to go Assam?” he questioned.
As per the deal announced by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma in the assembly recently, the Mawmari pond will go to Assam but the Maikuli graveyard will be in Meghalaya.
MPSO president Vincent Sohkhwai said that the organisation’s visit to Maikhuli was to offer its support to the village and will raise the issue with the State government.
