CMs Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma held a joint press conference after the talks wherein the latter said it has been decided regional committees will be formed to look into the issues.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma held a meeting in Guwahati on Friday to discuss issues regarding the inter-state border. The duo held a joint press conference after the talks wherein Sangma said it has been decided regional committees, headed by cabinet ministers, will be formed to resolve inter-state boundary disputes in phased manner. The committees will focus on points like historical facts, ethnicity, administrative convenience and submit their reports 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 was quoted as saying by news agency.
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.
Earlier, in a tweet, Sarma said the meeting is the biggest deliberation in this direction in recent times and he hoped it will come out with a common agenda of strengthening the long standing friendship between Assam and Meghalaya.
On Thursday, Assam reached an agreement with Mizoram to withdraw forces from all disputed border areas and work towards lasting peace in the first meeting between the two states since an unprecedented gunbattle last week killed six policemen and injured 41 others.