GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said a roadmap had been prepared towards resolving the state’s boundary dispute with Meghalaya.
“Our efforts to resolve Assam-Meghalaya border row have started bearing fruits as 6 of the 12 areas of difference(s) have been identified for resolution in the first phase,” Sarma tweeted.
“A roadmap for amicable settlement has been prepared based on recommendations of 3 Regional Committees with representatives from both the states,” he further wrote.
Earlier, both states had constituted three regional committees each and they jointly inspected the disputed areas and interacted with the locals to try and understand the problem.
The six disputed areas, falling under three districts on either side, were taken up in the first phase for resolution. They are Hahim, Gizang, Tarabari, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pillingkata and Ratacherra.
“We’ve reached this stage after several rounds of CM-level talks on the matter,” Sarma added.
Opposition Congress, however, did not endorse the manner in which the state government is trying to solve the dispute. It sought an Assembly session for a threadbare discussion on the matter.
“The Assam government has adopted a proposal on solving the dispute in six areas. According to the proposal, 50% of the disputed land will go to Meghalaya and 50% to Assam,” Congress leader Debabrata Saikia, who attended the meeting, said.
“We opposed the decision taken this way because the matter is sensitive and Assam also has such disputes with some other states. We urged the CM to convene an Assembly session before taking such an important decision,” Saikia added.
Aminul Islam, who is a leader of the minority-based All India United Democratic Front, also said that the party demanded a discussion in the Assembly since the government’s decision might impact the state’s border row with the other states.