Assam and Meghalaya have agreed to partially end their 50-year-old border dispute. The two states have agreed in principle to divide the disputed land of about 36 square km into six different places. The dispute in the remaining six complex areas will be settled in the next phase. Both the states have agreed that the decision will be limited to only those areas of the 12 areas claimed by Meghalaya till 2011. Apart from this, Meghalaya cannot claim anything else.
Both Chief Ministers will meet Amit Shah on Thursday
On Thursday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding this. Both the Chief Ministers will submit the recommendations of their agreement to resolve the border dispute in these six areas. Chief Minister Sarma held a press conference on Wednesday after chairing the Assam cabinet. The Chief Minister said that both the states would submit their recommendations to the Center and urged them to take the matter forward.
Will recommend resolution of border dispute in six areas
“The Assam-Meghalaya border issue was discussed in the cabinet. A consensus has been reached in the regional committees of both the states and also at the chief minister’s level. In Shillong, Meghalaya Chief Minister Sangma said he along with his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday and submit to him the recommendations of the two northeastern states to resolve the border dispute in six areas.
Assam-Meghalaya reached a conclusion after long meetings
Sangma told that this meeting will be held in New Delhi on Thursday evening. Sangma made the announcement after chairing a meeting of the Meghalaya cabinet. The recommendations of three regional committees constituted on the border dispute were approved in the meeting. He said that the recommendations of the regional committees of Meghalaya and the Assam government would be given to the Union Home Ministry for further action.
Meghalaya CM said, joint survey may have to be done
Sangma said, “Assam Chief Minister and I will submit the report to the Union Home Minister in Delhi on Thursday evening. We will submit at least one common report and then I think the Indian government will have to proceed according to the law. He said after the discussion the Home Ministry will finalize a conclusion. He said the demarcation would be done after the parliamentary process. Sangma said, ‘The Survey of India will have to come. A joint survey may have to be done and the bill will also have to be passed.
Sangma said it was a difficult task to resolve the dispute
He said that both the states have agreed on villages in the border areas. Natural boundaries including rivers and forests have been identified. There are 36 villages in six different places with a total area of 36.79 sq km. Sangma said that the border dispute has been there for 50 years and it is a difficult task to resolve it but due to the efforts of both the states, we have reached a solution. “We have consulted many people related to this controversy, held many meetings and many visits. As I said, this is actually a very important and historic moment.’
(with inputs from the language)
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