SHILLONG: The Opposition has urged the Meghalaya government to look beyond the areas of dispute in the ongoing interstate border talks between Assam and Meghalaya.
Expressing concerns about alleged recurring skirmishes, encroachments, and displays of strength from the Assam side along the border, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) said that even in areas without disputes, new challenges have arisen, such as encroachment and development activities by Assam on land belonging to Meghalaya.
AITC President, George B Lyngdoh, on Sunday told the local press that the party had raised these issues in the last Assembly session. “The ongoing discussion on the border relates only to the areas of differences, and they have not gone beyond that,” Lyngdoh was quoted as saying.
Citing the construction of a transit camp in Khanapara, located inside Meghalaya territory, Lyngdoh said, “This only means that areas not listed as disputed have also been given away to Assam as part of the settlement process.” He further recommending that district councils be included as stakeholders in the border talks.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, The Hynniewtrep Achik National Movement (HANM) Western Ri Bhoi, in collaboration with representatives from Raid Warmawsaw-Umsohbar, has halted the Assam government’s road construction in Bakhlapara, situated within the Raid Warmawsaw-Umsohbar region of the Nongspung Ri Bhoi District.
The group asserted that the ongoing road development in the boundaries of Raid Warmawsaw-Umsohbar was encroaching on Meghalaya’s territory. After suspending Assam’s road construction, a team led by Sumar Lyngdoh, President of HANM, Western Ri Bhoi, conducted an examination, affirming that the construction site indeed fell within the jurisdiction of Raid Warmawsaw-Umsohbar under Hima Nongspung.
Expressing strong criticism of the Assam administration, Sumar questioned how Assam could proceed with road development without the knowledge or agreement of the Meghalaya government, holding the Assam government responsible for the situation.
He called on the Meghalaya government to act swiftly and urged the Assam government to refrain from encroaching on Meghalaya’s borders and undertaking development activities in the area.
