Shillong, June 5: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said the state government is taking up with its counterpart Assam on villages, which were excluded from the 2012 report submitted on the 12 areas of differences.
Speaking to reporters, Sangma said that issue was taken up in the recently held chief ministers’ level border talks held in Guwahati.
He informed that there are areas under the Tarabari sector more specifically in Malangsalbari and adjoining villages, which were not included in the 2012 report submitted by the Meghalaya government to Assam government on its claims over the 12 areas of differences.
“Rather I should say 2012 report the village was named Malangsalbari and mentioned in the report but in the map that was drawn and submitted in the report Malangsalbari was shown in Assam and never in the area of differences.
So it is a very complicated situation for us when we sat down in 2019-2020 to move forward because we were going with the 2012 report. So that’s the crux of the problem came up because the early reports showed Malangsalbari in Assam and suddenly people came in and said no we want to be part of Meghalaya,” Sangma said adding “So it was a very difficult situation for me to resolve that. We are in touch with government of Assam. We’ve spoken day before yesterday we had the meeting, I have taken this matter up.”
“I don’t want to give any kind of conclusive remarks right now because we are under the process but we are working in that sector,” he stated.
Asked, Sangma said, “…may be during the survey try to cover Malangsalbari also and it is something which is not simple. We are trying our best.”
Regarding that sector for Malangjoipur, he said, “There is another village, there also we are working out, there are certain concerns, Huhuapara also there are concern. So we are taking up the matter and as I said it is too sensitive to talk about it right now because we are in the process but give us time because we are working on it.”
“As I said these are all areas which would never shown in the map in the area of differences. These are areas which were in the 2012 report shown in Assam and that is where the problem came first and then suddenly, when we decided and after the MoU was signed people had come to us and said please include us also but it was a huge challenge for us because in the initial report itself they had already been placed in Assam and not in the areas of difference.
So it was very complicated but I hope that will be able to find the way,” he stated.
In regards to Pilangkata and Maikuli area, Sangma said, “All these areas, we are working with the local people, we are talking the local administration. There are different interpretations being interpreted on the MoU lines by Assam and different interpretation by Meghalaya.”
He said to avoid any kind of complication, the government has asked two deputy commissioners to sit down and work out the details post which the chairmen of those two regional committees will then sit down and further work out the details and then finally the CM’s meet will take place where we will be able to freeze the boundary for Pilangkata and Maikulai.
“But it may take some time but for Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Bhoklapara I am hopeful that we should be able to draw the boundary lines and put the pillars before or on 15th of August,” he said.
“For Rattachera there is a village called Baikam and for Pilangkata and Maikuli area we got some complications, we are working on them and we will see how to resolve them,” he added.
