Senior Assam, M’laya ministers hold parleys

SILCHAR, July 15: Senior ministers of Assam and Meghalaya met on Saturday to discuss the border dispute between the two northeastern states, an official said.
Assam’s Forest and Environment Chandra Mohan Patowary and Meghalaya’s Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar held a detailed discussion on the border between Cachar and East Jaintia Hills districts, and directed the officials to prepare detailed reports on the problems in this area.
The meeting was held at Umkiang in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district.
Patowary later told reporters in Silchar that both the governments are keen to resolve the border disputes.
“The necessary steps will be taken after taking people’s opinions and submission of the reports by the commissioners of the two districts,” he said.
Cachar Deputy Commissioner Rohan Kumar Jha, East Jaintia Hills DC Abhilash Barnawal, police superintendents of the two districts and representatives of various organisations were also present.  Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state in 1972, and it challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971, leading to disputes in 12 areas along the 884.9-km-long border.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two states in March last year to resolve the disputes in six of these 12 areas.
According to the agreement, 36.79 sq km of disputed area was taken up for settlement in the first phase with Assam getting control of 18.51 sq km and Meghalaya over 18.28 sq km of land. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K Sangma met on May 24 to discuss ways to resolve the issues in the remaining six areas. (PTI)