The Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday, marking a significant step forward in their efforts to resolve the decades-old border conflict.
Reports presented to MHA
They presented him with the reports of both States’ regional committees on the Assam-Meghalaya border issues and updated him on the situation.
The reports will be examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the Home Minister is expected to conduct talks with both Chief Ministers after the Republic Day celebrations.
Awaits the outcome
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after his meeting with Amit Shah, “I met with Home Minister Amit Shah today, along with the Chief Minister of Meghalaya. We informed him about the outcome of the meeting between the governments of Assam and Meghalaya to address the border concerns amicably. The Home Minister’s advice has been invaluable to us.”
Sarma went on to say that in 2011, Meghalaya gave over land in the 12 disputed areas to Assam. “If any land in these 12 disputed areas has been encroached upon again from the Meghalaya side, the Meghalaya government has committed to hand over the land to Assam,” he said.
Conrad Sangma, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, stated, “Amit Shah, the Indian Home Minister, praised both countries for taking the initiative in this case. The MHA will review the reports, and we will meet with Shah again after Republic Day.”
Discussion with other parties and student bodies
Separate discussions with all political parties and student organizations on the Assam-Meghalaya boundary disputes were held by the Assam administration on Tuesday.
“Based on the suggestions of the three regional committees with representatives from both nations, we have established a roadmap for a peaceful settlement. Our efforts to address the border dispute have begun to bear fruit, with the first phase identifying six of the twelve areas of disagreement for resolution “According to the Chief Minister.
Long border dispute
Since last year, the two countries have been debating how to resolve their border issue, and it was determined that six of the 12 disputed areas will be addressed in the first phase. Until 2011, the two state administrations debated claims and counter-claims over boundary territories between them.
