Guwahati, Sept 30: The Chief Minister level talks held here between Assam and Meghalaya this afternoon at the State Guest House at Koinadhara on inter-state boundary issues today decided to wind up the Judicial Commission that was instituted to inquire into the Mukroh firing and replace it by an independent inquiry by the CBI. The CBI will register the case in a neutral place other than Guwahati and Shillong to maintain neutrality of investigation.
An official source informed that the meeting which was held in a very cordial atmosphere between Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K Sangma also decided that both the chief ministers will visit Khanduli inter-state boundary outpost to have a firsthand view about the prevailing situation there in last part of October this year.
Both Assam and Meghalaya have also decided to pull back their respective police forces from Khanduli area which is located on the Assam Meghalaya border in West Karbi Anglong on Assam side and West Jaintia Hills on Meghalaya side. Rather the area will be manned by CRPF personnel as a neutral entity.
Moreover, the meeting decided to end all the prevailing boundary disputes in six areas between the two states by December 31 this year.
Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya Sniawbhalang Dhar, Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, senior officers of both Assam and Meghalaya government were present at the meeting.
It may be noted that official level talks to resolve the issues in the remaining six disputed areas are being held at regular intervals between the two neighbouring states. Sarma and Sangma had last met on May 24 and had agreed to meet again to take forward the discussions to resolve the border issue as it was ‘complicated’.
The two chief ministers had then agreed to visit the disputed areas along the border of Karbi Anglong-West Jaintia Hills districts of both the states.
Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state in 1972. It had challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971, leading to disputes in 12 areas of the 884.9 km long border between the two states.
Sarma on assuming office in May, 2021 had announced that his priority was to resolve long-standing boundary disputes with the states neighbouring Assam. Subsequently, three regional committees were set up in August 2021 to resolve them in a phased manner.
The committees submitted their recommendations which were handed over to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi by the two chief ministers, followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding on March 29, 2022 to resolve disputes in six of the total 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 full control of 18.51 sq km and Meghalaya over 18.28 sq km.