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posted by: Preetha Mallick
Last updated: July 23, 2023, 00:32 IST
Guwahati (Guwahati), India
Six people, a forest ranger from Assam and five villagers in Meghalaya were killed in a violent clash following unprovoked shooting by the Assam police in Makruh village. (photo: News18)
Assam’s Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Pura said officials have been asked to check the ground reality and submit their updated reports at the next meeting, which is set for August 25.
The regional commissions of Assam and Meghalaya met here on Saturday to discuss three disputed sectors along the border between the two states, said the ministers of the two countries who chair the commissions.
The ministers added that they will meet in the same place next month and conduct a joint field visit to one of the conflict areas.
We discussed three contested sectors today. We heard what the government of Meghalaya said. “Ministers, senior officials from both sides attended,” said Assam’s Minister for Border Protection and Development Atul Pura.
He said officials, especially the district commissioners, were asked to check the ground reality and submit their updated reports at the next meeting, which is set for August 25.
“On August 26, the commissions will visit West Demoria (in Kamrup Metropolitan District of Assam) for a joint inspection,” Bora added.
The Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Preston Tinsong, said that after the joint inspection, more sectors would be taken up in stages for resolution.
The two neighboring states have been embroiled in border disputes since Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state in 1972 and defied the Assam Reorganization Act 1971, resulting in disputes in 12 areas of the 884.9 km border.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma upon assuming office in May 2021 declared that his priority is to resolve long-standing border disputes with neighboring states.
Subsequently, regional committees were formed to resolve the issues in stages, with six areas of disagreement initially being addressed.
The provincial commissions presented their recommendations, which were handed over to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on March 29, 2022 to resolve disputes in six of the twelve districts.
According to the agreement, 36.79 sq km of the disputed area was taken for settlement in the first phase, with Assam fully controlling 18.51 sq km and Meghalaya 18.28 sq km.
The two countries have now held discussions in the remaining six sectors, with Sarma holding a meeting in this regard with his Meghalaya counterpart Konrad Sangma on May 24 here.
(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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