SHILLONG:
Former chief minister and opposition leader Mukul Sangma on Wednesday said the government has no right over the land that belongs to Syiemship and Hima, yet it just divided the land and gave portions to Assam.
Sangma was speaking to reporters after visiting two villages — Mawiong and Maikhuli – after people of the area voiced their grievances over the recently-signed MoU between Meghalaya and Assam to resolve dispute in six of the 12 areas of difference in the border.
Residenst of several villages under Raid Marwet of Hima Mylliem have said they do not want to part of Assam. They have said that land falling under Meghalaya has been given to Assam.
Sangma expressed concern that the MOU was signed without the consent of the local residents and the final decision for settlement of border dispute was taken only by the chief ministers of Meghalaya and Assam.
He also informed that he wanted to visit these border villages of Meghalaya to seek the opinion and gauge the feelings of the local residents, who said they were not happy with the performance of the Regional Committee set up by the state government.
“It is a matter of great concern that the local residents in the border area which falls under Raid Marwet of Hima Mylliem were forced to voice their concern as they are not satisfied at all with the border settlement being worked out at the chief ministerial
level,” he said.
He also wondered how most of the land which is purely in Meghalaya as per land documents was included in the territory of Assam without the consent of landowners and local residents.
He said it was a joke that in the boundary settlement the land was supposed to shared 50-50 between the two states, but most of it has gone to Assam in the first phase covering the six areas.