Captain Amarinder to send delegation to resolve Punjabi settlers issue in Meghalaya

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has decided to immediately rush a four-member delegation to Meghalaya to resolve issues concerning the Punjabi settlers in the state.

"The delegation headed by Water Resources Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria including MPs Ravneet Singh Bittu and Jasbir Singh Gill, along with MLA Kuldeep Singh Vaid, will go to meet Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and other concerned officials in Meghalaya," an official spokesperson said here on Saturday.

The decision comes amid media reports that the settlers have received threats from certain local banned terrorist organizations warning them of dire consequences if they resisted the state government's attempts to evict them.

"These reports have naturally caused great concern back in Punjab as these families have been settled in Shillong long before the country's independence," Amarinder said in a letter to Sangma requesting him to initiate urgent measures to instill a sense of security among the Punjabi settlers.

Underlining the sensitivity of the issue, the Punjab Chief Minister stressed the need for the issue to be carefully and amicably resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.

He also said it was important that the issue should not be allowed to acquire a religious or parochial colour.

In his letter, Captain Amarinder also referred to the visit to by a Punjab government delegation to Meghalaya last year, which headed by Cooperation Minister met Sangma on the same issue.

The delegation had met the settlers as well as other officials in the Government and was assured by all quarters that due regard would be taken not to displace them.