SHILLONG, JUL 3: “We wanted the regional committees of Meghalaya should not look away from this notification 1958 because in 1957 a joint inspection has already been carried out by Assam and Meghalaya into the aspect of the Block I and after the ground demarcation by both sides, a report was out in 1958 and this 1958 report has clearly stated that majority of the areas belongs to the pnar people and therefore, they should be transferred back to the state of Meghalaya,” Hynñiewtrep Border Dispute Redressal Forum (HBDRF) spokesperson and KHNAM working president Thomas Passah said on Friday.
“We would be very sad if the government of Meghalaya or the regional committee would sideline this 1958 report,” he added.
Passah was speaking to reporters after submitting a memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on the second phase of the Meghalaya-Assam border talks.
The Meghalaya government had on June 30 notified regional committees to verify the six remaining disputed areas between the two states.
“When we go through the notification, we have seen there is a term of reference and here it is clearly stated that to examine the status of the population of villages as per census record including ethnicity, to visit each and every village and interact with the communities living in the village including the representative of the autonomous district council and other stakeholders ‘to learn about the perception of the people living in the area,’” Passah said.
He noted that the ToR also mandates the panels “to document the actual information regarding the physical and timewise distance between the villages to a nearest polling service delivery point or administrative unit.”
“We have seen that this term of reference that the government of Meghalaya has noted down is quite satisfying and we have today given a letter to the chief minister insisting that all these conditions that have been notified by the government of Meghalaya should be followed in letter and spirit,” he said.
Passah stressed that the committees for Block I and II must “go to ground zero, speak to every village, then only we can come with a real time conclusive report.”
He added, “We fear that as per the MDA-I committee, we have seen that the members of the regional committee have not visited the villages, they just sat in one room and did the documentation which might lead to an error report.”
“To ensure there is no error in the report and that the report is upto the satisfaction of the people living in the border area and of the people of Meghalaya, we want the regional committees should follow all the guidelines given in the terms of reference as given in the notification dated June 30, 2026 in letter and spirit so that we can ensure there is a proper duty being carried out by the regional committees,” Passah said.
He said the HBDRF had met the chief minister less than a month ago and handed over a copy of the 1958 notification issued during undivided Assam. “We would request this notification 1958 issued during the government of undivided Assam (when Meghalaya was yet to get a statehood), we wanted the regional committees of Meghalaya should not look away from this notification 1958,” he said.
In its memorandum to the chief minister, the HBDRF said: “First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to the Government of Meghalaya for constituting the Regional Committee aimed at resolving the long-standing border dispute between the State of Meghalaya and Assam.”
“However, we, the Hynñiewtrep Border Dispute Redressal Forum (HBDRF), kindly request the Government, the Chief Minister, the Chairman of the Regional Committee, and all concerned members of the Regional Committee to visit all the Khasi Pnar villages in Block 1 and 2. Additionally, we urge you to engage in discussions with the residents of these villages to listen to their concerns,” the letter stated.
“It is essential for the members of the Regional Committee to collaborate with stakeholders such as Dolloi, NGO leaders, Waheh Chnong, and others as outlined in the terms and conditions of the Government Notification,” it added.
“We are committed to cooperating and sincerely hope that this long-standing border dispute can be resolved, allowing our ancestral land to be reunited with the mainland as has been the case for generations,” the HBDRF said.
By Our Reporter
