Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
Chairman of West Khasi Hills regional committee on border and cabinet minister Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar informed that leaders of the Nepali community did not attend the meeting called by the committee while those from the Khasi and Garo communities did.
The committee held a meeting on Friday at Nongstoin to solicit the views and opinions of stakeholders especially in Langpih area.
Speaking to reporters on October 17, he said, “Almost all headmen of different villages attended, especially those from the Garo and Khasi villages. The Nepali villages did not attend.”
With an aim to have peaceful settlement on inter-state border issues, he said that the Syiem (chief) had approached the Nepali community for the matter.
“We are trying all possible ways and means to settle peacefully. I’m very glad to hear that the Syiem has initiated to find a way out to solve this amicably and to get an agreement from the Nepali villages to be in Meghalaya because we understand that those villages are surrounded by Khasi and Garo villages,” he added.
Tongkhar informed that the meeting also discussed the issue of the different villages that have been included in the 2011 list submitted by the then Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) government.
He further said that the committee received positive inputs from the Syiem, the headman and NGOs who attended the meeting.
He said that names of three-four villages did not appear in the 2011 map, however, the minister could not recall the names of such villages as there are 53 villages on the list.
The government in September constituted three regional committees to examine the present status of the remaining six ‘areas of difference’ viz., Langpih in West Khasi Hills District; Borduar, Nongwah- Mawtamur, Deshdoomreah, Block-ll in Ri-Bhoi District; Block-l, Psiar-Khanduli in West Jaintia Hills District.