Assam, Meghalaya clear ‘give and take’ formula to resolve border dispute
The Assam and Meghalaya cabinets on Wednesday approved a ‘give-and-take’ formula to resolve the five-decades old border dispute between the two northeastern states. In the first phase, issues of six of the 12 disputed areas will be resolved, people familiar with the development said.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma will meet Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday to hand him details of the proposal and request for further action.
Deliberations between the two states, including the two chief ministers, have been going on since last year. Recently, regional committees of both states submitted their reports on the six areas that will be resolved in first phase.
“The proposals submitted by the regional committees, which were agreed upon at the chief ministerial level, were today (Wednesday) approved by the state cabinet,” Sarma said after a cabinet meeting held at Halflong, the headquarters of Assam’s Dima Hasao district.
“Cabinet has approved the recommendations of all 3 regional committees as process to resolve the Meghalaya-Assam border issue. The recommendations of both states would be submitted to MHA (ministry of home affairs). Along with CM Sarma, we will meet Home Minister Amit Shah for further action,” Sangma tweeted on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting in Shillong.
The six areas that will be taken up for final settlement in the first phase are Hahim, Gizang, Tarabari, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pilingkata and Ratacherra. The other six areas, where the disputes are more complicated, will be taken up later.
On Tuesday, during an interaction with various political parties in Assam, Sarma said that as per the recommendations of the regional committees, the state will get 18.51 sq km of the total 36.8 sq km disputed area while the remaining 18.29 sq km will go to Meghalaya. He also said that as per agreements between both states, once the border dispute in all the 12 areas are resolved, Meghalaya will not be able to make any further claims on Assam territory.
Meghalaya was carved out of Assam in 1972 and both states share a 733-km boundary. Over the years, the two neighbouring states have witnessed several skirmishes between various communities inhabiting the border areas.
Meghalaya will celebrate its 50th statehood day on January 21 and the governments of both states are trying to forge an understanding on some of the disputed borders before the golden jubilee celebrations.
