Shillong, May 27: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday indicated that a fresh round of Chief Minister-level talks between Meghalaya and Assam on the inter-state border issue under Phase 2 of the border settlement process could take place either before May 30 or be pushed to early June, depending on the schedules of both state governments.
With tensions continuing in the Lapangap area, Sangma said he had already spoken to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and both sides were trying to work out a mutually convenient date for discussions aimed at resolving the issue and maintaining peace on the ground.
“In fact I just had a word with Assam chief Minister in the afternoon and he is traveling to Delhi post 30th and we have got our own engagements before May 30th. So he was requesting if we could meet before May 30th. So I’ll have to see if I can change my programs and all, otherwise it will be postponed by about a week to 10 days. So we are just trying to work out but we are in constant touch and like before Himantaji and I share a very positive and a very good relationship. We have always tried to work out keeping the states’ understanding and the people’s interest in mind, trying to balance out things. I’m sure that, even in the Lapangap issue, we will work together to resolve this issue,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister appealed to residents in the affected areas to remain patient, stating that both governments were actively coordinating to find a peaceful solution while ensuring that the situation remained under control.
“And of course, we ask the local people also to bear with us. So at the same time we are coordinating so that we can find a solution to this and we are doing our best. At the same time, as I said, our meetings and discussions will happen very, very soon. So if I can change my programs, then we may leave in about a day or two to fix up a date to meet, but if that doesn’t happen, then we will meet about a week or 10 days later,” he said.
Sangma further revealed that during his recent visit to Garo Hills, he remained in continuous contact with police officials, district authorities and political leaders from both Meghalaya and Assam to prevent the situation from escalating.
“So last week when I was in Garo Hills for about 7-8 days, during that visit, the situation was obviously tense and I was continuously in touch on the phone with the SP and the administration of West Jaintia Hills and continuous calls and discussions were being made with the CEM of Karbi Anglong. I was speaking myself with the local MLA and the Chief Minister of Assam continuously for a day, two days, three days. I must have spoken to them more than 15-20 times during that phase and that’s how we managed to keep things under control,” the Chief Minister said.
He said that despite being away from Shillong because of official engagements in Tura, the state government maintained close coordination with all concerned stakeholders and succeeded in preventing the situation from worsening further.
“In spite of me not being in Shillong, as I was in Tura with local programs there, we were able to keep the situation under control. Complexity is there, but the CEM and District Council are also cooperating. There are local issues that are also there which need to be ironed out and a few more things need to be worked out,” he added.
Assam, Meghalaya CMs Likely to Hold Fresh Border Talks Before May 30 or in Early June
