Assam-Meghalaya border row: Regional Committees visit Upper Tarabari; interact with fringe-dwellers
Both the committees interacted with the local people of the village enquiring about their ration cards, Aadhaar cards, Elector’s Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) and on the kind of benefits they get from each of the two states.
GUWAHATI:
The regional committees of both Assam and Meghalaya examining the decades-old border issue between the two states visited three disputed areas along the inter-state border and interacted with the local people, on November 12.
Both the teams made a joint on-the-spot visit to Upper Tarabari, bordering Assam’s Kamrup district and Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills district.
While Assam border protection and development minister Atul Bora led the Assam team, the Meghalaya team was led by Public Health Engineering (PHE) minister Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar.
The Assam team comprised of MLA Nandita Das, commissioner and secretary of border protection and development department GD Tripathy, Kamrup deputy commissioner Kailash Kartik and Kamrup superintendent of police Hitesh Ray.
“A regional committee each from Assam and Meghalaya visited the disputed border areas between the two states. We took the opinions of the local people. We are hopeful of amicable solutions to the boundary disputes between the two states. We will hold more talks with Meghalaya. The three regional committees on boundary disputes will submit their reports to the Chief Minister soon,” Assam minister Atul bora told The Northeast Today (TNT).
Both the committees interacted with the local people of the village enquiring about their ration cards, Aadhaar cards, Elector’s Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) and on the kind of benefits they get from each of the two states. The two teams also examined the geographical area of the village. The two committees also visited Dabaktrob and Gamarimura border areas during their visit.
“Ahead of the Hon'ble CMs of Assam & Meghalaya's visit to Lampi on November 16 next, we visited Upper Tarabari, Gamerimura, Dobakdrop and other areas today and interacted with the villagers & representatives of local organisations to take their views and suggestions (sic),” Bora tweeted.
Following the two rounds of talks between chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya – Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad K Sangma, respectively – on the inter-state boundary disputes between the two states, both the states had constituted three five-member regional committees to examine the present status of the inter-state border areas.
These committees will submit their respective reports to their CMs based on the inspection of the villages and agreed yardsticks of historical perspective, ethnicity of the local population, administrative convenience of local people, contiguity with the boundary and the perception of the people living in the area.
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