Border deal with Assam ruffles feathers in Meghalaya, residents of disputed areas may move court

The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council claimed the land – supposed to be handed over to Assam as per the MoU – belongs to private parties and the state government has no authority over it
Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma. (File | PTI)
Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma. (File | PTI)

GUWAHATI: Even as some traditional institutions in Meghalaya are contemplating moving the court to challenge the state’s boundary pact with Assam, an autonomous council in the state said the state government has no authority to hand over private land to the neighbouring state.

The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council claimed the land – supposed to be handed over to Assam as per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) – belongs to private parties and the state government has no authority over it.

“The government will be required to take the council’s consent as per section 41 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 before any handover,” the council’s chief executive member Titosstarwell Chyne said.

Meghalaya has three autonomous district councils, created under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. They are like a mini government with administrative powers wielded within their respective jurisdictions.

The MoU was signed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi recently to resolve the boundary disputes in six of the 12 friction points.

According to the draft resolution of the two states, 18.51 sq km of the disputed 36.79 sq km of land in the six areas will go to Assam and the remaining 18.28 sq km to Meghalaya.

However, the agreement has ruffled the feathers of not only the autonomous council in question but also a section of residents of border areas. They are demanding its review.

But as the state government said the agreement cannot be revisited, some tribal authorities as well as villagers are weighing the option of moving the court. They are also gearing up to vent their anger out on the streets.

The residents of two villages, Malchapara and Salbari, which will be part of Assam after the MoU is ratified by the Parliament, said they would not relent without a fight.

The MoU was signed after both states had constituted three regional committees each followed by their inspection of the sites in dispute and submission of reports based on the historical facts, ethnicity, administrative convenience, willingness of the people and their overall sense of sentiments and contiguity of the land.

The six areas, dealt with in the first phase, were considered “less complicated”. The remaining six areas are viewed “complicated” and settling the problem there will not be easy.

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