Union Home Minister Amit Shah today held a meeting with Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma to discuss the proposals by the two neighbouring states to settle their boundary dispute in six areas.
The meeting was held at Shah’s residence in New Delhi and concluded late in the evening. The two chief ministers also submitted to the Union Home Minister the recommendations of their respective regional committees on ways to settle the boundary issue.
Meanwhile, Sangma in his tweet after the meeting stated that Shah expressed happiness on the initiative taken by both the states on the matter.
He also said that he along with Sarma will meet the Union Home Minister again after January 26.
It is learnt that the next meeting after January 26 will also be attended by officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs to take the discussion forward and finalise the deal.
Both Sangma and Sarma traveled together by flight from Guwahati to New Delhi. They met the Union Home Minister after 6 pm.
Both the chief ministers returned back by flight to Guwahati soon after the meeting.
Meanwhile, sources said that a give and take formula has been agreed upon by both states to sort the dispute in the six areas namely Hahim, Gizang, Tarabari, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pillingkata and Ratacherra.
These six areas fall under Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan and Cachar districts of Assam and West Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi and East Jaintia Hills districts of Meghalaya.
As part of that Assam would get 18.51 square kilometre of area while Meghalaya would get 18.29 square kilometre.
Later, the proposal will then have to be approved by Parliament as Meghalaya became a full-fledged state in 1972 under the North Eastern Region (Re-organisation) Act of 1971 and then will be ratified by the legislative assemblies of both the states.
