SHILLONG, April 27: The Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad K.Sangma said that the border resolution with Assam cannot be based only on land deeds, maps and folklores. He said that this does not mean that the deeds are not important, but what the Government has done is to remove the problems because the problems cannot be resolved by only taking documents from both sides.
Speaking with media persons, he said that as residents, there is a want for the places as per the map to be under Meghalaya, but he added that if truth be told, then that will not be possible because Assam will have more land documents and maps than Meghalaya.
He said that the Himas and Raids are within their rights to fight or express their grievances in the Court, but the Government has clearly stated that it has done the right thing by putting ahead the benefits of the people, and it on the basis of the people’s will that the Government moved forward.
He further stated that if only maps and land documents are to be the basis then the talk would have pertained only on following the ‘status quo’.
With regards to the demand which many groups, especially the local village Chiefs have expressed to re-examine the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the Chief Minister said that the inability of the Government in re-examining the MoU is because this matter was handled with great thought, and if it has to be re-examined, then all that the Government has done would have been wasted because the whole thing will have to started again from the beginning.
He said that the Government feels that it has done the best with the State gaining a lot and many of the people in the interstate border area are satisfied with a few grievances here and there.
Sangma further stated that if the MoU is to be re-examined, many changes cannot be made, and if that is done then the sites which have already been resolved will have to be tackled again and will get even more complicated.
