The decision by the chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya yesterday to keep Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) out of the regional-level committees to resolve the boundary dispute in the remaining six areas of differences has raised a big question mark.
It may be mentioned that the chief ministers of the two states have yesterday decided to form three regional-level committees to settle disputes between the states in six border areas.
The decision was taken at a meeting between Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma at the Assam secretariat in Guwahati.
The two chief ministers also decided to form three regional committees for each state to lead the way in resolving the remaining six areas of differences. The regional committees will be notified within 15 days by the two states.
The committees will be headed by cabinet ministers from each state and will have representation from the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), as three of the six contentious areas lie under its jurisdiction.
The regional committees will identify mutually accepted solutions to settle the dispute in Khanduli and Psiar, Block 1 and Block 2, Borduar, Langpih, Nongwah – Mawtamur and Desh Doomreah.
It may be noted that Block 1 and Block 2 were transferred from the then United Khasi and Jaintia District to Assam’s Karbi Anglong district for administrative convenience in the 1950s.
However, many people in Meghalaya have questioned the decision to include KAAC in the regional committee while leaving out KHADC and JHADC.
People said that by agreeing to keep out KHADC and JHADC from the regional committees, the Meghalaya government appeared to have kowtowed to Assam’s maneuverings.
“If Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council can be included in the proposed boundary settlement process why not the KHADC and JHADC too?” people asked while pointing out that Borduar, Langpih, Nongwah – Mawtamur and Desh Doomreah fall under the KHADC jurisdiction.
They also said that the KHADC and JHADC were not consulted by the State government before proceeding ahead with signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the first phase of boundary settlement.
The MoU was signed by Sangma and Sarma on March 29, 2022 in New Delhi in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah clearing the way for the resolution of the six disputed sites which included Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pilangkata and Ratacherra.
