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Assam-Meghalaya boundary dispute : Shillong moves Centre |
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The decades old boundary dispute between Assam and Megha¬laya surfaced again last week with the latter demanding the Centre’s intervention. Meghalaya on May 30 declared it will not hesitate to use force to “retrieve its encroached land” from the neighbour.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy on May 30 spoke to Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta over phone and sought the Centre’s intervention against the “illegal occupation” of land by Assam in West Khasi Hills district.
“We were assured of intervention by the Home Secretary,” official spokesman Paul Lyngdoh told reporters after a cabinet meeting summoned to take stock of the situation.
The boundary dispute between the two states got activated last week when on May 27 Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was to lay the foundation of a health centre, an inspection bungalow and some office quarters at the disputed Langpih area bordering the two states.
“We have written to the Assam government advising it not to visit the area, which belongs to Meghalaya constitutionally,” Lyngdoh said.
The Meghalaya government has also asked Assam to remove an Assam Police battalion post from the place.
Meghalaya alleges that Assam has encroached 40 km of its territory since 1979 in the West Khasi Hills area bordering Kamrup district of Assam.
Lyngdoh, also the state Urban Affairs Minister, said the cabinet has decided to deploy more law enforcing agencies along the border belt to protect the interest of the indigenous people of the state.
“We will not hesitate to use force if required,” Lyngdoh asserted.
“The cabinet formed a committee headed by the Chief Secre¬tary to recommend a development package for the border areas to strengthen the state’s claim over the disputed ground,” Lyngdoh said.
The boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya rear its head off and on ever since the latter was carved out of Assam in 1972.
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