Assam-Meghalaya border row: Leaders welcome consensus reached on 6 out of 12 disputed areas

Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 18 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that efforts to resolve the Assam-Meghalaya border row have started bearing fruits as six of the 12 areas of difference have been identified for resolution in the first phase.
Sarma took to Twitter to say that an all-party meeting was held during the day where representatives of all parties were briefed on the progress made so far on the issue.
The meeting was held at State Guest House, Koinadhara where Assam ministers Ranoj Pegu and Ashok Singhal and Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Debabrata Saikia along with several MLAs, Cabinet Secretary Jishnu Barua, senior government officials, and representatives of all parties were among those present in the meeting
A roadmap for amicable settlement has been prepared based on recommendations of three Regional Committees with representatives from both the states, Sarma said.
The areas of differences taken up for final settlement include Hahim, Gizang, Tarabari, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pillingkata and Ratacherra, the chief minister said.
Speaking to the reporters after the meeting, Assam Minister Ranoj Pegu said, "Talks with Meghalaya were initiated to solve the age-old boundary dispute. Finally, the discussion has come to some sort of conclusion. We have identified 12 places of dispute, out of which we have arrived at a consensus at six of them. Regarding the remaining six places, we have held an all party-meeting, Chief Minister himself chaired the meeting."
"Everybody welcomed the steps taken by the government on the points, and we are very hopeful about the rest six points of its resolution through a process of discussion," Pegu added.
Bodoland People's Front leader Durga Das Boro who also attended the meeting said that the dispute will be solved based on the boundary decided by the government of India and Supreme Court during the time of bifurcation of Meghalaya.
"We had a meeting with the Chief Minister today and it seems that it would benefit Assam. There are 12 disputed areas, out of them six areas still have problems. The agreement that was made during the bifurcation of Meghalaya between the government of India and the Supreme Court, we are going to solve the problems taking the basis of that boundary decided in the agreement," Boro said.
"So the boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya will be solved permanently," he added.
Congress representative Rekibuddin Ahmed said that the matter should also be discussed in the Assembly and added that the meeting was very fruitful.
"The people of Assam and Meghalaya want to live in peace and tranquility. Our leader of Opposition said that the matter should also be discussed in the Assembly. It is very important for the two states to live together. All the parties' representatives were there in the meeting and it was a fruitful discussion," he said.
In their long-standing inter-state boundary disputes between Assam and Meghalaya, the Chief Ministers of both States on December 23 last year held a meeting and decided to resolve the issues over six areas, out of 12.