Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, and Conrad Sangma, the chief minister of Meghalaya, met in Guwahati on Friday to discuss border issues. After the talks, the two held a joint press conference in which Sangma stated that regional committees led by cabinet ministers will be formed to investigate the issues. The committees will focus on historical facts, ethnicity, and administrative ease, and their reports will be due in 30 days.
“Today in the meeting, we had a detailed presentation given by the Assam government on six out of the 12 areas of dispute. We have three regions where these six areas of differences fall. Three committees from Meghalaya and as many from Assam will focus on historical facts, ethnicity, administrative convenience, willingness, and contiguity and submit their reports within 30 days,” Sangma sai.
Sarma said through this, the governments are not trying to redraw the boundary but change the perception about those areas or villages. “If redrawing of boundaries is necessary, we will recommend that to Parliament,” he further said.
Sarma had earlier said in a tweet that the meeting is the largest deliberation in this direction in recent times, and that he hoped it would result in a common agenda for strengthening Assam and Meghalaya’s long-standing friendship.
In the first meeting between the two states since an unprecedented gunbattle last week that killed six police officers and injured 41 others, Assam and Mizoram agreed to withdraw forces from all disputed border areas and work toward lasting peace.
