 were tagged with the United Mikir and North Cachar Hills district for administrative advantages.){kind=link}
SHILLONG:
Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong, on June 23, made it clear that the areas in Block I and Block II which are under the administrative control of Assam the question is about retransferring those areas to Meghalaya.
“Some people misunderstand this when we talk about Block I and Block II please understand the question of differences does not arise, question of dispute does not arise it is purely the question of retransferring back those areas on the basis of notification of 1951 we placed it before the government of Assam to retransfer it to us, those areas where the population is maximum with our own people,” Tynsong told reporters after a meeting of the Regional Committee of Ri-Bhoi district.
As per official records, in 1951 Blocks I and II (from Jowai subdivision of United Khasi – Jaintia Hills district) were tagged with the United Mikir and North Cachar Hills district for administrative advantages.
In Ri-Bhoi district there are Borduar, Nongwah-Mawtamur, Desh Doomreah and Block II which will be resolved in the Phase II of the border talks with Assam.
The deputy chief minister who is heading the Ri-Bhoi regional committee stated that the same criteria used to resolve the disputes in the Phase I will be used in the Phase II too.
Tynsong also informed that the Joint Regional Committee Meeting between Meghalaya and Assam, overlooking the disputed areas in Ri-Bhoi district will meet in July.
The deputy chief minister said that the members of the Joint Regional Committee will make a visit to learn about the ground situation and take a final call on the issue.
Tynsong said that despite some discontentment aired from certain quarters after the signing of the agreement in the Phase I said that the government is doing this in the best interest of the next generation of the state.
“We will go ahead no matter what,” the deputy chief minister said.
The second phase of border talks will resolve issues on six remaining areas of dispute that is- Langpih, Borduar, Nongwah-Mawtamur, Desh Doomreah, Block 1 and Block II, and Psiar-Khanduli.
It may be mentioned that on March 29, 2022, the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma, signed a historic agreement in presence of Union home minister Amit Shah in the national capital to resolve the dispute in the first six areas of differences.
The agreement was signed by the two Chief Ministers in the presence of the chief secretaries of both the states along with other officials of the states and Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) officials.
The two state governments had come up with the draft resolution to resolve the border disputes in six of the 12 disputed areas along the 884 kilometers inter-state boundary.