To review disputed border areas Assam-Meghalaya holds meeting

Shillong: A regional committee meeting to review the disputed areas of Block I of Meghalaya, Psiar-Khanduli in West Jaintia Hills district and Hamren West Karbi Anglong district of Assam was held at the State Convention Center in Shillong on Wednesday.

Deputy Chief Minister and Chairman West Jaintia Hills District Regional Committee Sniawbhalang Dhar presided over the meeting in the presence of Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioners of West Jaintia Hills District and West Karbi Anglong District, members of Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC), members of Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council (KAADC) and village heads of both the districts attended.
Dhar told the leaders that Wednesday’s joint committee meeting was an introductory meeting to jointly review future plans for committee members to jointly address areas of disagreement before the next meeting in July.
“We decided in the meeting that we will start working on all the formulas for the second phase of the border issue,” he said about the talks with the neighboring state.

He said that the objective of the committee is to amicably resolve the border dispute between Meghalaya and Assam.
The West Jaintia Hills Regional Committee along with West Karbi Anglong District also shared their plan to submit a report by August.
Meanwhile, Hazarika said that Assam has not messed up in Khanduli and Block I area. He blamed miscreants for the incidents of violence in these areas.

“The miscreants do not belong to the state”, he said and explained that Assam has good relations with the people of Meghalaya as well as other parts of the Northeast.

“We must resolve the long pending dispute amicably and I am confident that it will be resolved in a short period of time,” Hazarika added.