Assam, Meghalaya CMs decide to set up ministerial panels to resolve border rows

Guwahati, Aug 21 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Chief Ministers-level meeting on Assam-Meghalaya border disputes, held here on Sunday, decided to form three regional level committees to solve disputes in six remaining border areas between the two northeastern states.

Officials said that the 9th Chief Minister level meeting between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K. Sangma decided that the proposed committees would be headed by cabinet ministers of each state along with members from Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council as three of the disputed sites fall within its jurisdiction of the council.

Within 15 days, both state governments would notify regional committees and then the members of the committees would conduct extensive visits to the disputed areas and would talk to the local people to find out mutually agreeable solutions amicably.

As a goodwill and confidence building measure, both Chief Ministers would also make visits to the disputed sites and talk to the local people.

In Sunday's meeting, Sarma, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that after resolving the six disputed boundaries in the first phase, the remaining boundary disputes will also be solved amicably under their guidance.

Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah, his Meghalaya counterpart D.P. Wahlang, and other senior officers of both the states were present during the meeting.

In the first phase, following a series of discussions, meetings and visits to the disputed locations, an MoU was signed on March 29 in presence of Union Home Minister in New Delhi paving the way for resolving the six disputed sites.

Assam has border disputes with Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh besides Meghalaya. A ministerial level meeting between Assam and Mizoram was held in Aizawl on August 9 to evolve strategies for a lasting solution to the dispute and it was decided that both the states would promote and maintain peace and to prevent any untoward incident along the borders, adding that the deputy commissioners of the bordering districts of Assam and Mizoram would meet at least once in two months.

The worst-ever violence along the 164.6-km-long Assam-Mizoram border, on July 26 last year, left six Assam Police personnel dead and nearly 100 civilians and security personnel of both states injured.

Source: IANS