Guwahati, August 16: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma held a meeting in Guwahati on Saturday, discussing various issues, including the long-standing border dispute between the two states.

“Today, in Guwahati, I had an excellent discussion with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri @SangmaConrad Ji,” Sarma posted on X, adding that they had covered “a wide gamut of issues to strengthen the mutual growth of both our sister states.”

The two CMs had previously met on June 2 and agreed to erect border pillars in five of the six disputed areas by Independence Day.

The border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya dates back to 1972, when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state. The two states have a 884.9-km-long border, with disputes in 12 areas. In March 2022, the two states signed an agreement to resolve border disputes in six areas, with Assam getting full control of 18.51 sq km and Meghalaya 18.28 sq km of land.

The agreement was a result of efforts by the two CMs, who had set up three regional committees in August 2021 to resolve the issues in a phased manner. The committees submitted their recommendations, which were handed over to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, leading to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on March 29, 2022.

The meeting between the two CMs aimed to review the progress made so far and discuss ways to resolve the remaining issues.