MP advocates ‘adjustment’ to settle border dispute

SHILLONG: Shillong MP Vincent Pala has prescribed “adjustment” as cure to the decades-old boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya as neither would be willing to part with even inch of their land.
Talking to media persons here on Monday, the former Union minister asserted no party can claim to resolve the issue, which has always hogged the limelight come elections.
“There are various states in the country who share boundaries without any problem as they seek development”, he said.
He pointed out the issue is not confined to Meghalaya alone as other Northeastern states like Nagaland and Mizoram have also been confronted with it since attainment of their statehood.
He said he has written a series of letters to the competent authorities and was hopeful that something positive will come out of it.
Stating that the records will throw up the real picture, he said that whoever comes to power claim that they would solve the problem, but the fact is that the dispute is a sensitive one and not as easy to tackle.
“We should educate people to live together and peacefully by making adjustments,” he said.
Skirmishes along the disputed stretches of the inter-state boundary have been a regular occurrence and at times the situation has almost gone out of hand while both the state governments have been holding negotiations and providing only temporary solutions.
It may be mentioned that chief ministerial level talks between Assam and Meghalaya are on the cards after the Parliamentary elections.