Border dispute: Assam and Meghalaya CMs to meet Amit Shah to settle dispute

To solve the decades-old border disputes between two states, Assam and Meghalaya, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will meet CM Conrad K Sangma of Meghalaya and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam on Tuesday. In the meeting, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is anticipated to finalise the border agreement signed between Assam and Meghalaya in January to settle the dispute in six areas. 

The meeting on Tuesday is significant in the wake of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the opposition party in Meghalaya, having raised objections to the agreement signed between the two states. 

Here are the key points to remember before the meeting:

1) Meghalaya was formed as a different state from Assam in 1972, and the state had challenged the Reorganization Act, 1971, leading to disputes in 12 bordering areas along the 884.9 km long inter-state border. 

2) The border dispute between the two neighbouring states has lasted for more than five decades.

3) Because of the border dispute, the two states have witnessed several violent incidents in the past. In one such incident, four people were killed in police firing at Langpih in 2010, one of the 12 areas of difference.

4) In January, the Chief Ministers of Meghalaya and Assam signed a memorandum of understanding in Guwahati to resolve the boundary dispute in six locations in the first phase, Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pillangkata, and Ratacherra. It was then forwarded to the MHA for review.

5) Overall, 36 villages in the six places of difference, covering an area of 36.79 sq km.

6) In due course, each of the two states established three regional committees. Their representatives went to the disputed areas and held public meetings. They submitted their reports to the respective governments after gaining a thorough understanding of the problem.

7) According to the recommendations, 18.51 sq km will be allocated to Assam, while the remaining 18.28 sq km will be given to Meghalaya.

8) Assam also has border disputes with Mizoram, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.

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