Although Meghalaya and Assam have signed the final agreement to settle their long standing boundary dispute in six areas, there is still no clear picture about the fate of some of the border villages in Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi Hills.
As per the memorandum of understanding signed between the two states, Malchapara village in Gizang sector of West Khasi Hills and some parts of Maikhuli village in the Pilangkata-Khanapara sector of Ri-Bhoi district have been brought under Assam.
People of these villages have in recent days strongly appealed to the State government to change the agreement and bring them under Meghalaya. However, it is not clear if the government had listened to their pleas.
It may be noted that Malchapara village under Nonglang Sirdarship which falls under the Gizang sector of West Khasi Hills has been listed as a part of Assam.
Malchapara has historically been a part of the Nonglang Sirdarship. Located beside the Me’kamkit stream, the village falls under the Bandon Raja area of Meghalaya that Assam calls the Gizang Reserve Forest.
Malchapara headman L B Marak along with local villagers had met Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on March 25 and urged for keeping their village under Meghalaya.
The villagers said that they will feel alienated if Malchapara goes to Assam against the wishes of the people.
Similarly, in Maikhuli, villagers said that their fishery pond which is being run by the village has now been tagged with Assam.
They also strongly objected to the naming of their village and pond as Mawmari Beel in the agreement signed by Meghalaya and Assam.
On March 14, a delegation of Maikhuli villagers led by headman Kleden Sangma and leaders of the Meghalaya People’s Social Organisation (MPSO) had met Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and demanded that the fishery pond should remain under Meghalaya territory.
However, nothing much is known about the fate of the fishery pond which is a source of income for Maikhuli village in paying salary to teachers of a local school.
Recently, the Durbar of Khlieh Nongsynshar Raid Mylliem Syiemship (DKNRMS) has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs opposing the agreement signed by Meghalaya and Assam on the boundary issue in Pillangkata-Khanapara sector.
The DKNRMS said the agreement was arrived at hastily without consulting or seeking the consent of the traditional heads, the village durbars, the local people, land owners and the district council. It also said that the people residing within the area of Pillangkata-Khanapara wanted to be within Meghalaya as per the notification of 1876.
There are also concerns expressed by people of Langpih over the latest boundary survey being conducted by Assam in the area.
It was learnt that Assam officials have erected survey pillars in many areas of Langpih despite the fact that the area was not part of the present boundary agreement signed between the two states.
Yesterday, members of the FKJGP and HYC uprooted the survey pillar and brought the same to the office of West Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner P D Sangma.
After a discussion with members of the two pressure groups, Sangma said that he would take up the matter with the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup, Assam.
