Shillong, March 27: The Meghalaya government will move New Delhi to intervene in the vexed boundary dispute with Assam if its hand is forced, chief minister D.D. Lapang said here today. However, another attempt would be made to solve the problem of militancy along the border, he added.
Replying to the debate on the Governor’s address, the chief minister mooted a mission of peace. Lapang said the Assam boundary problem needs settlement. He said the status quo between both states would be maintained till a solution is found. “We have to solve it together,” he said, adding that he would fix a meeting with his Assamese counterpart Tarun Gogoi soon, where issues like encroachment and militancy would be discussed threadbare.
From Lapang’s statement, it was evident that the two Congress chief ministers may ponder over the need to set up a joint command to tackle insurgency along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
“We have to jointly solve insurgency,” said Lapang, who has been under tremendous pressure owing to a spurt in militancy along the Garo Hills sector bordering Assam. The most recent incident was the abduction of seven persons, including a Customs inspector, from Gasuapara in the South Garo Hills by the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB).
While prescribing his peace formula, Lapang also sounded a stern warning and said his government would not allow atrocities along the border and if necessary, the Centre’s help would be sought.
The Meghalaya chief minister conceded allegations raised by Hopingstone Lyngdoh of the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) that there “are wrong-doers” from Assam. But Lapang was confident that Gogoi had not given his consent to anyone to encroach.
Lapang said his government was keen to ensure that “a conducive atmosphere” prevailed in order to develop industries, tourism and sectors like agriculture, horticulture and fisheries.
He mooted the idea of privatising the tourism sector, but cautioned that unless a momentum for peace and an environment of sound law and order was created by the politicians and the public, the process would fall apart.
“We can compete with everyone and good things can happen provided we have good law and order,” Lapang said. He recalled how a few years back, a firm from Japan had come to give the famous golf club a facelift, but was subsequently winded up due to the prevailing law and order situation.
The chief minister dismissed arguments by the Opposition that maintaining law and order was the sole responsibility of the government.