Shillong, Sept 16: The Hynñiewtrep Border Dispute Redressal Forum has decided to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court to end the age-old inter-state boundary dispute between Meghalaya and Assam.
Kick-starting its preparation, the forum has also given the two autonomous district councils of Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills region to provide relevant documents within one month related to official maps of different traditional bodies, names of villages along the inter-state boundary and others.
The forum backed by the Khun Hynñiewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) was formed at a meeting held at Jowai, the district headquarter of West Jaiñtia Hills District on August 24, with an aim to seek solution to the long pending issue at the earliest possible.
Addressing media persons on Monday, chairman of the forum, Chandametre Sungoh said, the aim of the forum is to demand the Centre, Meghalaya and Assam governments to immediately resolve the boundary dispute issue.
The other objectives of the forum include demanding the Assam government to return lands belonging to Meghalaya, to bring unity among the border villages in the Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills region, and to ensure peace and overall development.
Spokesman of the forum and KHNAM state youth wing president, Thomas Passah informed that the forum has also submitted memorandums to the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council and Jaiñtia Hills Autonomous District Council seeking their interventions.
He said the two district councils have been asked to provide official maps including maps of different hima, elaka, raid, shnong, names of headmen and villages falling under the disputed areas along the inter-state border, and letters submitted to two state governments and the Centre.
“We have given both the ADCs to provide us all relevant documents within one month, in order to build a strong case in our fight to resolve the boundary dispute issue,†Passah said.
He informed that after gathering all relevant documents, the forum would knock the Supreme Court’s door if both the states and the Centre are not serious in ending this problem that has been affecting the border populace.
On a similar petition filed by one of the KHNAM leaders which was rejected by the Supreme Court, Passah said that he was not aware of the content and doubted the seriousness of the PIL as it was filed just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year.
On the idea of referendum, the leader said the forum cannot sideline the idea as it may be considered as one of the solutions to the problem.
Expressing concern over the plight of the people living along the inter-state boundary dispute due to lack of development, Passah said, the forum is of the view that the Centre should step in and provide direct funding for development of border areas if both the state governments are shrugging off responsibilities in the name of “status quoâ€.
“Depriving people residing along the inter-state border especially disputed areas of their rights to development is a violation of their human rights. We are also considering of approaching the national human rights commission (NHRC) as there is a lot of human suffering in our border areas,†Passah said.
The forum also asked the autonomous district councils to provide an on-the-spot free registration of land to people residing along the inter-state border with Assam.