Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi tomorrow to give their seal of approval to the agreement to settle the boundary dispute between the two states in six areas.
The meeting which will be held at 4:30 pm will also be attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and senior officials of the two states.
Meghalaya and Assam have signed a memorandum of understanding on January 29 to settle the boundary dispute in six of the twelve disputed locations. The agreement was based on the recommendations regarding the boundary settlement submitted by specially appointed committees of the two states. The chief ministers of the two states had also met the Union Home Minister on January 31 and expressed their desire to end the border dispute.
The areas where the boundary will be settled are Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pillangkata and Ratacherra – falling under West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi and East Jaintia Hills districts of Meghalaya and Cachar, Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup districts of Assam.
The disputes in the six areas cover 36.79 sq km of land. According to the recommendations, 18.51 sq km will go to Assam and the remaining 18.28 sq km to Meghalaya.
In Hahim where the dispute is 3.51 sq km, the recommendation is that Assam will get 0.3 sq km and Meghalaya 3.21 sq km. In Gizang where the dispute is 13.53 sq km, it was recommended that Assam will get 10.63 sq km and Meghalaya 2.9 sq km.
In Tarabari where the dispute is 4.69 sq km, the recommendation is that the entire 4.69 sq km will go to Meghalaya. In Boklapara where the dispute is 1.57 sq km, the recommendation is Assam will get 1.01 sq km while Meghalaya will get 0.56 sq km.
Further, in Khanapara-Pillingkata where the dispute is at 2.29 sq km, the recommendation is Assam will get 1.79 sq km whereas Meghalaya will get only 0.5 sq km. In Ratacherra where the dispute is 11.2 sq km, it was recommended that Assam will get 4.78 sq km while Meghalaya will get 6.42 sq km.
However, there have been strong oppositions by border villagers in some areas especially in Pillangkata-Khanapara against the boundary settlement as they fear that their areas will go to Assam.
Recently, the Durbar of Khlieh Nongsynshar Raid Mylliem Syiemship (DKNRMS) has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs opposing the memorandum of understanding signed by Meghalaya and Assam on the boundary issue in six areas.
The DKNRMS said the agreement was arrived at hastily without consulting or seeking the consent of the traditional heads, the village durbars, the local people, land owners and the district council. It also urged the Ministry of Tribal Affairs that the people residing within the area of Pillangkata-Khanapara would like to be within the state of Meghalaya as per the notification of 1876.
