SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has announced a significant development in the ongoing border disputes with Assam. He revealed that Assam has agreed to remove its border outposts (BOPs) erected within Meghalaya’s territory and the removal process is set to begin immediately.
“In the next couple of days, people will see Assam removing most of the BOPs it had erected in locations in undisputed Meghalaya,” stated Chief Minister Sangma, on the sidelines of a cultural event on Thursday.
He further explained that Meghalaya’s decision to withdraw its state police personnel from certain areas along the interstate border was a reciprocal response to Assam’s request for neutrality.
“After Assam decided to replace state police personnel with a neutral paramilitary force in certain areas along the border, Meghalaya also considered responding to this gesture. Assam initiated the move and requested us if we could reciprocate to bring neutrality from both sides,” explained the Chief Minister.
Regarding the ongoing commissions investigating the Mukhroh firing incident and the proposal to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Chief Minister Sangma clarified the rationale behind this decision. He expressed concerns that multiple commissions might complicate the fact-finding process.
“If Meghalaya’s commission advocates for, let’s say, action number 1, and Assam suggests proceeding with action number 2, and then the CBI report recommends focusing on action number 40, it will create total chaos. We will face conflicts among commissions. So, in the interest of obtaining a neutral report, we jointly decided to involve the CBI,” he explained.
Meanwhile, fresh reports of encroachment by Assam have surfaced in Boklapara village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Hima Nongspung in Ri-Bhoi.
Earlier in the day, the traditional head of Hima Nongspung, accompanied by local leaders, conducted an inspection and discovered that the Assam government, through the Public Works Department, has begun constructing a road from Patgoan to Boklapara, covering a distance of 1.203 km.
The project, sanctioned under the Mukhya Mantrir Pakipath Nirman Achani scheme, is funded by the Assam government for the fiscal year 2022-2023 and commenced on June 20. The work is being executed by the PWD West Guwahati Territorial Road Division.
