Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said the second round of talks with Assam to resolve the inter-state boundary dispute in the six remaining areas of differences will begin in April or May.
He informed the state assembly that regional committees comprising ministers and MLAs for six areas in Ri-Bhoi, West Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills districts have also been appointed to take the talks forward.
The six disputed areas are in these three districts. “After the (assembly) session is over, the talks will resume in April or May.
Detailed consultations should take place at ground zero to try and understand all issues of the people,” the chief minister said in his reply to the Governor’s address. He said all stakeholders such as the autonomous district councils and traditional heads will be consulted.
Assam and Meghalaya have identified 12 disputed areas along the 884.9-km-long interstate border. These two northeastern neighbours, which started the first round of discussions in July 2021, signed an MoU to resolve differences in six areas in March last year in New Delhi in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The remaining six disputed border areas between the two northeastern states are in Block-I in West Jaintia Hills district, Block-II in Ri-Bhoi and Langpih in West Khasi Hills.
According to the chief minister, the border talks were based on the claims made by the Meghalaya government through its report on 12 areas of difference submitted to Assam in 2011.
