SHILLONG, SEPT 14: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today asked the Assam government to demonstrate maturity and commitment to resolve the age-old boundary dispute for the benefit of the people.
“It is only appropriate for all concern particularly for our counterpart to demonstrate the maturity and commitment to resolve the issue for the benefit of the people who are affected,” Sangma told reporters at the sidelines of a function held here on Thursday.
He was reacting to the recent claim of the Assam government over the illegal encroachment by Meghalaya government in Langpih, a village located in the inter-state border in West Khasi Hills District.
Stating that there is no point in politicising this issue, Sangma said, “Because the more we politicise this issue the more suffering of the people will be seen affected in these unresolved areas of differences.”
Therefore in the best interest of all these affected people, he said it is important for both the government of the states to demonstrate maturity and commitment to resolve the issues rather than blaming each other.
“We should also ensure that there is much more conducive environment between the two states and engage collectively in various shared agenda of development and prosperity of the states,” he said.
He also maintained that these kind of allegations will not do well for the region and said that such issue are best discussed on the right platform, right forum to resolve it bilaterally keeping in mind that the people residing in the areas of differences have suffer a lot.
“How we resolve the way forward will have to be based on what is the ultimate outcome of the discussion,” he said.
The chief minister further informed that as an exercise that was required to be resorted to, the state of Meghalaya have ultimately build up its case through proper documentation to reinforce its justification pertaining the areas of differences.
“This is available and what is known to the people of the state of Meghalaya and Assam. Therefore our engagement will revolve around on these documentations which have been submitted,” he said.
Sangma however said that the Assam government had asked for some more time to further examine these documentations.
“We can actually engage in effective discussion and deliberation to ultimately see what should be the way forward of resolution of this long pending border issue with our counterpart and we look forward for utmost sincerity, commitment from our counterpart as a state to resolve this issue at the earliest,” he said.
On the other hand, chief minister said that the state had taken the completely involvement of all political parties on the matter as a culmination of its exercise with various stakeholders, civil society organization.
“We have collectively decided that since this whole issue is of differences in respect of border have been eluding solutions there is a need to take up the matter with the Government of India and have a third party resolution. But it was Assam who decided otherwise,” he said.
By Our Reporter
+ There are no comments
Add yours