SHILLONG, MAY 19: Cabinet Minister and MDA government spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla on Tuesday said the state government will resume border talks with Assam now that elections there are over, expressing hope for a mutual resolution to the ongoing issues in Lapangap.
“This is not happening for the first time. In the past also, several incidents have happened, and we have approached Assam,” Shylla told reporters. He said the MDA government has consistently pushed for a settlement of the boundary dispute.
“Out of the 12 areas of difference, six have been resolved. The remaining six are very sensitive,” he said. Referring to past incidents, Shylla said farmers had faced similar restrictions during harvest season. “Last time also, if you remember, during the harvest time they were not allowed. From the government side, we pursued the matter and had a talk with the Assam government. Later, they were allowed to harvest their crops,” he said. On the current situation in Lapangap, he said negotiations are underway.
“This time also the negotiation is on, and our DC and SP are in close contact with each other,” he said. However, he flagged repeated changes in stance from the Karbi Anglong side. “The thing is, especially from the Karbi Anglong area, specially from the Karbi Anglong District Council, they have been changing their statement again and again,” Shylla said. “No doubt we have come to a verbal agreement, okay we will do this, but in a matter of hours they change again: ‘No, we cannot do like this.’ So that is what we are facing as a challenge right now,” he added. Shylla said talks had been paused due to elections in Assam.
“There was an election in Assam, so that is why we had to stop the talks on the border issue. Now the election is over and we have a government there, so definitely the government will start the talks and negotiation with the Assam government again,” he said.
“Let us hope that we will come up with a mutual agreement or a solution on this,” he added. Reiterating the state’s position, Shylla said, “From day one, when we started to resolve the border issue, when we started the talks with the Assam government, our commitment was to resolve it completely — all 12 areas of difference. That is our aim and our goal.” He acknowledged the complexity of the remaining areas.
“Definitely our target is we should completely solve it, but as you all know, the most difficult part is to decide, especially with the people living there. So, it is not easy,” he said.
“But the government is committed and will continue to talk. What we believe is, if we sit and discuss and talk, a reasonable solution will definitely come,” Shylla said.
