By Francis Khongwar
Shillong( Meghalaya), Jan 20 : Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma along with Assam Chief Minister will meet the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi at 6 pm this evening on the border issues of the two neighbouring states.
Earlier in the morning both Sangma and Sarma left from Guwahati to Delhi .
After meeting Union Home Minister Amit both the Chief Ministers will return back to Guwahati late on Thursday evening .
The Meghalaya Cabinet on Wednesday approved the recommendations of the three Boundary Regional Committees, along with the recommendation of the Assam Government which will be submitted to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah by Meghalaya Chief Minister and his Assam counterpart.
Speaking to the media after the Cabinet Meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had said that the Government strongly felt that apart from historical facts, the sentiment of the people living along the borders should respected, as to which state they would like to opt, as the two Governments are at the final stage to settle the boundary dispute. He also added that the Boundary Regional Committees had meticulously gone and visited 36 villages in six areas where the dispute is about 36.79 sq kms.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah will submit recommendations of the two states to resolve the boundary dispute in six areas.
Meghalaya Chief Minister had said , “We have also considered ethnicity as something very important. Both the Assam and the Meghalaya governments have felt strongly that any of the state may try to claim an area but if the people living in that area don’t wish to be in a particular state, one cannot force them.”
The boundary dispute has been going on for 50 years, and resolving it was a difficult task. But due to the efforts made by the two states, a solution has been arrived at, Mr Sangma said.
“We consulted multiple stakeholders, have had multiple meetings and multiple visits. As I said, this is truly a very important and historic moment,” he said.
Conrad Sangma said that once a common agreement is reached in the presence of the Union Home Minister “that will be the appropriate time for us to declare and share the details of this (report)”.
“We have taken inputs from all political parties. The regional committees have representation from almost all political parties,” he said.
Additional inputs : PTI
