Opposition leader Whip George B Lyngdoh reasoned that decision to give away 0.27sqkm land to Assam in Khanapara area of Assam, therefore, ethnicity would suffer since many tribal communities would be relocated to Assam.
On Wednesday, Opposition Chief Whip George B Lyngdoh expressed his displeasure with the state government’s decision to “give away” 0.27 square kilometres of land in the Khanapara area to Assam, citing helplessness over the fact that the two chief ministers had already signed a memorandum of understanding.
Lyngdoh referred to the Chief Minister’s statement in the Assembly on Monday when he raised a special motion in the House on the interstate border settlement, saying his main concern was that Assam would get 1.79 sq km of prime property in Khanapara-Pillangkata while Meghalaya would only get 0.5 sq km.
According to him, the state is handing Assam 0.27 sq km of land in the Khanapara area, which roughly corresponds to 66 acres of valuable real estate. “We’ve been told that the Assam government has been given permission to move the previous border along the Guwahati-Shillong Road to come up behind the ASTC transit camp because it’s in the heart of Dispur,” the AITC MLA stated.
Lyngdoh sought to know whether the two governments had engaged traditional chiefs and institutions before finalising the deal, pointing out that some villages under the jurisdiction of the Hima and the Syiem will be transferred to Assam under the new settlement.
“On January 21, 2022, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed. The agreement has been reached. The state government has taken a hasty approach, and this House has never been taken into account. The all-party meeting was called at the last minute because the chief minister is set to travel to Delhi tomorrow (Wednesday) to meet with the Ministry of Home Affairs, according to the AITC MLA.
“We were taken for a ride; it was a bit of a whirlwind. We can’t do anything now, even if there are methods to better the deal,” he bemoaned.
Meanwhile, Nujorki Sungoh, who was elected from Mookaiaw constituency in West Jaintia Hills, also raised concern about the people living in villages along the disputed interstate border in West Jaintia Hills district were subjected to extortion by officials and militants from Assam and denied water, healthcare, education, and road connectivity.
The United Democratic Party (UDP) MLA said the disputed area would be taken up in the second phase of border talks with Assam, according to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma. In the first phase, six areas of difference will be addressed.
