Shillong, July 9: The Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) on Thursday congratulated the MDA government and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma for initiating the second phase of talks to resolve the Meghalaya-Assam border dispute.
HSPDP president KP Pangniang said the party, as part of the MDA government, has consistently pushed for a settlement and expressed hope that the second phase will address the remaining sectors.
“The HSPDP, as a constituent of the MDA government, congratulates the Chief Minister for taking the next step to settle the long-pending inter-state boundary with Assam. We are now moving to the second phase of settlement,” Pangniang said.
“Boundary settlement is one of the issues we have raised time and again. We hope this phase will help resolve our long-pending concerns.”
He welcomed the terms of reference agreed upon by both states, based on five core principles.
“We also appreciate the 5 core principles for settling the boundary dispute. Both governments have mutually agreed that the settlement will be based on historical perspective, ethnicity of the local population, continuity of boundary, perception of people living in the area, and administrative convenience,” Pangniang said.
“With these principles in place, it will be easier to settle the remaining six sectors.”As a member of the West Khasi Hills Regional Committee, Pangniang said he hopes the committee, headed by Chairman Metbah Lyngdoh, will soon hold talks with its counterpart in Kamrup District, Assam, to expedite the process.
He also referred to the Langpih sector, describing it as complex but solvable.
“In West Khasi Hills we have the Langpih sector, which is one of the most complicated areas. But by applying the five core principles, we hope the people will cooperate with the government. The people of the area must get an opportunity to voice their demands, and both regional committees should consider them before taking a final call,” he added.
The first phase of the border settlement covering 6 of 12 disputed areas was concluded with an MoU signed in 2022.
