Guwahati: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma stated the following round of border negotiations with Assam would take place after August 15 in order to settle the remaining six points of contention at the interstate border.
Speaking to reporters, Sangma revealed that he had a lengthy conversation about the matter with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma last weekend while they were both in New Delhi for the Niti Aayog meeting. After speaking with a group of traditional village chiefs from the Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong Border Area Raid Nongtung, he announced that the first meeting for phase II would take place after Independence Day.
“The exact date has to be finalized but we will be meeting in Guwahati,” Sangma said.
The two states would establish regional committees to forward the procedure for the second round of border negotiations, he said. The team asked the chief minister to step in so that Meghalaya would keep 18 of the 34 villages that were part of Raid Nongtung in the contentious block-II.
“We made progress in six of the twelve areas in the first phase because of this. After thorough deliberation, we signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and the first six places were settled in accordance with popular demand “Sangma stated what PTI reported.
The chief minister said it will take time, but he is confident that the two states will also come up with a solution for the remaining six locations. “Moving forward and letting the process continue are both necessary. All the relevant parties must be consulted and involved ” he added.
Synjuk president Blickstar Sohtun said they have urged the chief minister to ensure all the 18 villages under Raid Nongtung should not go to Assam at any cost. “The CM has assured us that very soon the border dispute will be resolved. We are confident that today’s meeting will bring positive results for the people who have been facing various hardships and problems in the border areas,” he said.