Guwahati: Members of the regional committees on border issues from Assam and Meghalaya on Wednesday visited Khanduli which is located on the border of West Karbi Anglong district in Assam and West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya.
Assam Cabinet minister and regional committee chairman Piyush Hazarika along with Meghalaya deputy chief minister and regional committee chairman Sniawbhalang Dhar led the regional committees and took part in a meeting to find out ways to resolve the issues in Khanduli, one of the six areas of differences between the neighbouring states.
Notably, both the committees had visited Khanduli for the first time on Wednesday.
Both the chairmen of the regional committees received memorandums from the representatives of the local people, parties and organisations from the two states.
The two ministers subsequently visited the border area and held a meeting with the members of the two committees at the border police outpost at Khanduli.
Addressing the people during the meeting, Hazarika said the two regional committees would visit the border area again soon to interact with the local people and take the views and opinions of the border residents of the two states.
“The two committees will submit their respective reports to the chief ministers of the two states based on the views of the local people and considering the constitutional boundaries,” Hazarika said.
The minister further said several key border issues between the two neighbouring states have already been resolved while the unresolved issues in the remaining areas would be resolved soon.
“The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government is working sincerely to find a permanent solution to the border issue with the neighboring states,” he said.
“The residents of Assam and Meghalaya have been living in harmony and the differences that exist in the border areas would be resolved soon owing to the sincerity and goodwill of the chief ministers of the two states,” Hazarika said.
The Assam minister was also accompanied by MLA Rupsingh Teron, principal secretary, revenue and disaster management department, Assam, G.D. Tripathi, West Karbi Anglong deputy commissioner and superintendent of police along with several top officials of the state.
It may be recalled that the Assam and Meghalaya governments had in May this year initiated the second phase of the chief minister-level border talks to find an amicable and lasting solution to resolve the remaining six “critical” areas of differences, even as both the states refrained from committing to a “timeframe” for completion of the resolution process.
The areas under the second phase of the settlement are Khanduli-Psiar, Block 1 and Block 2, Borduar, Langpih, Deshdemoreah and Nongwah-Mawtamur (Garbhanga).
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The meeting directed the three regional committees (headed by Cabinet ministers) of both the states to start visiting the six remaining areas of differences for multiple stakeholder consultations and fact finding, on the lines of the first phase of talks, after which they would submit reports ahead of the second chief minister-level meeting.
The two states had signed an MoU on March 29, 2022 in New Delhi in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah after reaching a consensus on six areas (out of the 12 areas of differences), including Hahim, Gizang, Tarabari, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pilangkata and Ratacherra.
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