SHILLONG: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday remained silent on the decades-old boundary dispute with Meghalaya.
Sonowal, who attended the 42nd passing out parade at the North East Police Academy (NEPA) on Wednesday, skirted all questions posed by the media on the vexed issue. Instead, he said, “We are all together here as the day is an important one for us and NEPA is a centre for assimilation of unity for us to go ahead together.”
The boundary dispute has been going on for a long time and despite the two state governments expressing their intention to solve it several times, nothing concrete has been done so far.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had earlier emphasised on the need to set up a consultation committee of political parties to pursue the age-old inter-state boundary issue with Assam.
In May this year, Sonowal had said the issue could be solved through mutual negotiations as the dispute was a “family matter”.
The State government had, in 2012, submitted to the Assam government documents and maps related to the 12 areas of differences. The disputed areas are Upper Tarabari, Gizang Reserve Forest, Hahim, Langpih, Borduar, Boklapara, Nongwah-Matamur, Khanapara-Pillangkata, Desdemorea, Block I and Block II, Khanduli-Psiar and Ratacherra.