GUWAHATI: Senior Congress leader, John F. Kharshiing has underlined the need for a boundary commission to re-examine the decades-old Assam-Meghalaya boundary dispute.
“A fresh boundary commission is needed to review all aspects of the boundary impasse for a resolution. Over the years, there have been several meetings between the two states, mostly at the chief secretary level, but none of the parties in dispute has been able to make any headway,” Kharshiing told The Shillong Times on Tuesday.
“At the end of every meeting, there has only been a one-line resolution, that status quo shall be maintained by both sides,” he said.
Interestingly, the words, “Khasi States” still reflect in the definition of the boundary of Assam in the 1st Schedule of the Constitution.
“This is a Constitutional anomaly, and the fact that the Khasi States never merged is the reason why the words still reflect in the definition of the boundary of Assam. The Justice Chandrachud committee (entrusted to look at the boundary demarcation in 1985), never took the documents of the Khasi states into consideration Now how do you define the boundary when you don’t talk to the stakeholders,” Kharshiing asked.
The inter-state boundary as defined under the North Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971, has been a point of difference between Meghalaya, which became a full-fledged state on January 21, 1972, and Assam.
Meghalaya has 12 areas of difference with Assam. Respective deputy commissioners of the concerned districts of the two states have been notified that both sides would not take up developmental work without prior intimation.
Over the years, Langpih, for instance, has been a bone of contention between the two states, with violence erupting from time to time, the latest being the clashes between Assam Police and villagers from Meghalaya which caused injuries to several people, including women and police personnel.
Assam claimed Langpih based on the recommendations of the Chandrachud committee report. However, Meghalaya has rejected the committee’s report.
“The documents of the Khasi states were not taken into consideration when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam. Instead, district boundaries as defined by the administrative districts of both the states were considered. This is where the problem is. An unresolved boundary issue for long can escalate tension and lead to community conflicts, which can be avoided if there is a relook at the dispute by a fresh commission, which the Centre should consider,” Kharshiing said.
“Assam should be willing to consider a fresh look and settle the matter for once and for all,” he said.
The veteran Congress leader further recalled former chief minister, PA Sangma demanding a States Reorganisation Commission in Parliament to take up the issues of the smaller states.