SHILLONG:
Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar on Thursday said that the regional committee for West Jaintia Hills will soon submit its report to the state government with regard to Block-I and Psiar-Khanduli.
“After the report is compiled, we will submit it to the state government,” Dhar told reporters.
The minister informed that he had chaired the first meeting of the regional committee for West Jaintia Hills on April 25 and said, “I have asked the deputy commissioner and officers of the government to prepare a report on the numbers of villages under Block I and Psiar-Khanduli, how much square kilometers, population, numbers of tribes, maps and to submit the same in the next meeting of the committee.”
He said that the committee would also coordinate with Assam’s regional committee after compiling the necessary report for joint inspection to the two areas of difference in West Jaintia Hills.
Dhar also informed that the committee has also decided to take all stakeholders on board while conducting the exercises.
When asked, Dhar said that Khanduli, where the recent tension had erupted, is very much within Meghalaya.
“That day the claim made by the DC of Karbi Anglong is not good actually,” he said.
Stating that the situation is calm and under control, Dhar said that being a local MLA of the area, he had personally visited Khanduli to take stock of the situation. “As of now tension is not there anymore as we are restricting both sides from entering the area,” he added.
According to him, the Karbi people had wanted to set up a toll gate but this was objected to by local residents of Khanduli.
Meanwhile, Dhar expressed confidence that the second phase of border talks would yield a positive outcome and resolve the remaining six areas of difference.
He informed that cabinet minister Comingone Ymbon has been appointed as vice-chairman of the regional committee and he will take charge of the meeting in his absence.