GUWAHATI, August 6: The second Chief Minister-level meeting on inter-state boundary disputes between Assam and Meghalaya held here today decided to adopt phase-wise approach to resolve issues over total 12 areas of differences according to the degree of complication involved in the dispute area-wise.
Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, Assam Chief Minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya chief minister, Conrad K Sangma informed that in the first phase steps would be taken to resolve differences regarding six areas of differences – Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Bakhalapara, Khanapara (Pilangkata) and Ratacherra.
These areas fall under Cachar, Kamrup and Kamrup Metropolitan districts of Assam and Meghalaya’s districts of West Khasi Hills and East Jaintia Hills.
Both the Chief Ministers informed that these six areas of differences were being taken up in the first phase because the issues involved are less complicated here.
Both the states have decided to constitute three five-member regional committees each to start working jointly to resolve differences in these areas. Each of these committees (six in total including three from each of the states) will be headed by a Cabinet Minister of respective states and comprises of bureaucrats and civil society leaders, if required.
“These committees while trying to resolve the differences will focus on aspects of historical facts, ethnicity of the areas, mood and sentiments of locals, administrative convenience of the local people and contiguity,” said Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma adding that the resolution of the boundary disputes will not be very simple.
“Each of these regional committees will be given 30 days’ time to complete the task are narrowing down the existing differences as much as possible. The Chief Ministers of both the states will make visit to some of these areas of differences during these 30 days to assure the people that a sincere effort is being made to resolve the vexed problem,” he said.
Assam Chief Minister, Dr Sarma said that it was expected that these regional committees would be able to narrow down the differences to such an extent that there would be hardly anything left to do at the CMs’ level. “If the differences still persist after the efforts made by the regional committees, it will be taken up at the CMs’ level or even higher level if required.
Assam government today made presentations regarding these six areas of differences highlighting its perspectives while Meghalaya government had made presentations on all the 12 areas of differences in the first CM level meeting held in July 23 last flagging its claim over these areas.
Both the Chief Ministers hoped that decisions taken in today’s meeting would go a logway in finding final solution to the problem of inter-state boundary disputes between the two states.
Meanwhile, Assam government has assigned Cabinet ministers Pijush Hazarika, Atul Bora and Chandra Mohan Patowary to head three regional committees of Assam to work on resolution of inter-state boundary disputes with Meghalaya in respect of the six sites mentioned above.
(By Bijay Sankar Bora)