Border panel to boycott all polls
Hynniewtrep Border Dispute Redressal Forum wants govt to recognise villages
Shillong, March 24: The Hynniewtrep Border Dispute Redressal Forum (HBDRF), advocating the cause of the border residents, boycotted all elections as the state government ignored their demands for resolving the border dispute with Assam.
“Residents of Block-I have taken a resolution in a recent general meeting to boycott all the elections, be it the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), Assam elections or the upcoming MP Lok Sabha byelections. The reason for boycotting the elections is to ensure that the border dispute is settled at the earliest,” KHNAM working president Thomas Passah said on Tuesday.
He was speaking on behalf of the HBDRF after a meeting.
According to Passah, individuals affiliated with national political parties are trying to canvas in the border villages under Meghalaya territory, seeking votes by saying, “Therefore, we want to oppose such attempts by the individuals, who are looking for personal mileage.”
Passah said the state government, led by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, has chosen to stay silent despite multiple representations.
A main demand is recognition of villages notified by the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC), which would enable residents to access essential documents.
“One of the most important points that we have insisted on the government is to recognise all the villages recognised and notified by the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) for the past many months so that these villages after getting the notification through the BDO, they will be eligible to apply for various documents which are very much mandatory in today’s time.”
“Assam residents are exploiting our helplessness,” Passah said.
He announced the HBDRF’s decision to launch agitation if the Meghalaya government fails to act.
“However, the government till date has not recognised these villages, and because of that, the residents of these villages are facing a lot of troubles, and because of this, the individuals from the other side from Assam are trying to take the advantage on the helplessness of these people. Therefore, from our side in our discussion, we have made a decision. Maybe we will go for agitation to protest the slowness of the government to address this key issue,” Passah said.
