Meghalaya and Assam to Form Joint Committee to Resolve Dispute of Private varsity

SHILLONG: A joint committee would be constituted, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced on Thursday, to probe the various charges being raised against the private University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) and its proprietor and chancellor, Mahbabul Haque by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in an attempt to fix lasting differences between Assam and Meghalaya.

The roots of the controversy go back to the attack Sarma launched last month, accusing USTM's campus-located in the district of Ri-Bhoi in Meghalaya, next to the outskirts of Guwahati--of causing large-scale waterlogging in the Assam capital. He has accused the varsity of complicating the water-logging problem further downstream in Guwahati through the construction of its campus, including the demolition of hills to make way for new buildings-a charge the USTM has denied. The university, for its part, has calculated that its campus accounts for an insignificant amount of water flowing down towards the affected areas such as Jorabat.

Perhaps most sensationalist of all is the charge by Sarma that USTM was indulging in what he claimed was "flood jihad," as if it deliberately caused the flooding. He further cited an Islamic design of the varsity's entrance gate as proof for the claim.

Apart from these, Sarma also accused the chancellor of USTM, Mahbabul Haque, of obtaining an OBC certificate fraudulently from Karimganj in Assam more than three decades ago. The Assam government, he said, will also lodge a case against Haque in this regard.

As the conflict began to escalate, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma pressed for the resolution of the issue through dialogue. He confirmed that the joint committee comprising officials from both Assam and Meghalaya will start functioning within a week. The chief secretaries of the two states are already in touch to set up the panel which will go into a thorough investigation into the concerns raised by the Assam government.

"We hope the committee would bring clarity and solution to the issue at stake," Sangma said and added that there was still hope a friendly settlement could be reached. Any other issue arising would also be covered by the committee, he added.

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