GUWAHATI: Conrad Sangma, the chief minister of Meghalaya, and Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, will hold a second round of talks on settling the ongoing conflict between the two states on Wednesday. On the other hand, both the CM to visit the 12 locations along the 884.9 km long that are the subject of long-running disputes.
Assam and Meghalaya signed an MoU in presence of Union Minister Amit Shah in March 2022. Moreover, last year after Home Minister called both of the CM of Meghalaya and Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma submitted agreement reports which was prepared by regional committees to end the border issues.
However, after Meghalaya Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio, expressed interest to move forward with oil exploration in areas near their contentious border for the sake of both states' economies.
Following the discussion between the two chief ministers, an Assam government statement in New Delhi stated that the two states are looking into all possibilities to peacefully resolve the long-running border impasse.
In contrast, tension was raised along the Assam-Meghalaya border in March 2022 when six people were killed after police allegedly stopped a truck in Mokhroh, West Karbi Anglong district, on suspicion of transporting illegal lumber. When the truck was stopped by the Assam Forest Department team, it attempted to accelerate, forcing the forest guards to open fire.
After learning about the incident, a sizable group of Meghlaya residents assembled with firearms, necessitating the placement of barricades by the Assam Police at various points along the border.
An 885-kilometer border separates Assam and Meghalaya. Meghalaya was separated from Assam in 1970 to become an independent state. As a result of the Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act of 1969, Meghalaya was granted full statehood in 1972.
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