Guwahati: History was created when Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma signed a landmark agreement with his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma to resolve inter-state border disputes in 6 out of 12 areas of difference.
This was the first time that any government or CM had come this far in addressing the inter-state boundary rows in the region. The process started soon after Himanta Biswa Sarma took charge as CM.
Inter-state border disputes with Assam and other NE states have had their share of unfortunate instances and despite efforts, no previous government could achieve anything meaningful on this front.
However, that changed forever once Sarma took charge. Determined to achieve the Centre’s goal of resolving all inter-state border disputes by 2024, CM Sarma kept his calm and put his faith in continued negotiations even in the face of provocations.
His dealing with the situation along the inter-state border with Mizoram where 6 Assam police personnel were killed following a clash with Mizoram police, spoke volumes about his approach towards matters of extreme significance.
While the historic deal has been signed with Meghalaya, things are making rapid progress as far as the boundary issue with Arunachal Pradesh is concerned.
Earlier on March 29, the chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya signed a pact in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to resolve part of their five-decade-old boundary dispute. Over the years, the 884-km border between the two states has witnessed frequent flare-ups.
The pact will resolve the protracted dispute in six of the 12 places along the 884.9 km border between the two states.
The home minister said, with the signing of the agreement, 70 percent of the border dispute between the two states has been resolved, and hoped that a solution will be found for the remaining six locations soon.
Assam shares a 2743 km boundary with Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and West Bengal. It is locked in border disputes with Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh.
