SHILLONG, January 18: The Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya,Prestone Tynsong said that the ongoing border dispute resolution between Meghalaya and Assam will not go to the extent of requiring an amendment to the North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) Act, 1971, but it will only require for the Survey of India to prepare the demarcation of the boundary line.
On being asked if it may be required to amend the North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) Act of the Indian Constitution, the Deputy Chief Minister stated that the process of amendment of the Act requires the intervention of the Parliament but with regards to the border dispute resolution between Meghalaya and Assam, the resolution is between the two states only and after a final decision has been taken, the requirement is only for the Survey of India to mark the boundary line which will be implemented after the decision has been finalised.
With regards to the meeting held between the two Chief Ministers,Conrad K.Sangma and Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday, he said that the metting was held after these two states had received the reports from their respective Chief Secretary and in the coming days,the two Chief Ministers will meet with the Union Home Minister,Amit Shah and after the meeting with him, the two Chief Ministers will publicly notify the resolution.
With regards to the demand of the Congress to call for a meeting of all political parties prior to the two State Governments informing of the decision to the Central Government, Tynsong said that the Government had already called for a meeting with all stakeholders for consultation on the border dispute resolution but it all depends on the two Chief Ministers now to decide on whether another such meeting is required.
Responding to another query, Tynsong stated that Meghalaya had expressed a yearning to firstly resolve 6 sites of dispute by the 21st of this month but that will again depend on the mutual decision taken by the two Chief Ministers.
Tynsong on the other hand has said that it will be a huge victory for the Government if it can finally resolve the border dispute especially at this juncture when the State will celebrate its Golden Jubilee year of Statehood. He said that there had been no Government in the past that had been able move forward to this stage and the honour for that goes to the Chief Ministers of the two states.
