Shillong, Sep 13 (UNI) Meghalaya and Assam have agreed on the survey post in Hahim, which was one of the six boundary areas the two neighbouring states had resolved through an agreement signed in March 2022.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Bisawa Sarma, who was on a whirlwind visit to the state, met his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma at the State Secretariat, and held an informal meeting on the ongoing border talks in the remaining six areas of dispute between the two states.
“We discussed the ongoing work of the regional committees. We made a lot of progress and finally agreed on the survey post at Hahim. We have together resolved the border post in Hahim,” Sarma told reporters
He said after the boundary agreement was signed on March 29, 2022 for the first six areas – Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pillangkata and Ratacheera – both the governments together with the centre assigned the Survey of India to demarcate the border so that border posts could be established.
“The Survey of India together with officials from both governments have been working to properly demarcate the areas like for example water bodies, forest areas and many other minute details,” the Assam Chief Minister said.
“Work on establishing the border post in the remaining five areas that were resolved is going on. Lots of progress is happening and today we met to further the confidence building measures before the discussion on the second phase,” Sarma added.
In the second phase six other areas –Block I, Psiar-Khanduli in West Jaintia Hills district. Block II, Borduar, Nongwah-Mawtamur and Deshdoomreah in Ri-Bhoi district and Langpih in West Khasi Hills district – would be taken up for resolution.
“These remaining six areas are a little bit complicated, but the regional committees from both states are headed by matured people. They are working very hard and visiting those areas frequently,” the Assam Chief Minister said.
Sarma said that both he and Sangma would visit some of these complicated areas, but before that confidence building meetings, such as today’s, are vital.
“Once that confidence building measures are formalised, we will both go to the site and we will discuss with the people of border villages also. When we went to Langpih, there were lots of festivities. So we want to go to the Karbi Anglong and Jaintia Hills also with the same kind of festivity,” he added.
Sarma said that in the first or second week of October he has invited the Meghalaya Chief Minister to sit for a formal meeting in Guwahati.
Terming the informal discussion with his Assam counterpart in presence of the Chief Executive Member of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Tuliram Ronghang as “positive”, the Meghalaya Chief Minister said the informal meeting is part of the exercise and process to discuss the matter to help both States get into a better understanding.
“There is no definitive outcome of it and this exercise will continue from time to time. We are hopeful that we are able to slowly and steadily move towards a resolution and also ensure that there is peace in that area and the different misunderstandings that are coming in a while, we are hopeful that we will be able to resolve those issues also,” he said.
