In 1972, Meghalaya was made into a separate state by carving it out from Assam. However, Meghalaya challenged the Assam Recognition Act 1971, with 12 locations on the interstate border remaining an unsettled dispute.
On Tuesday, the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma signed an agreement to resolve their states’ fifty-year-old border issue.
They made the joint agreement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Ministry of Home Affairs office. Speaking at the function, the Home Minister said, “It is a historic day for the Northeast.”
The states share a border stretch of 884.9 km. Of the 12 disputed locations, six places cover an area of 36.79 sq. km and host 36 border villages.
Last year, in August, three joint committees were launched by Assam and Meghalaya to arrive at a final settlement for these six locations. Chief Ministers Sarma and Sanga also met for two rounds of talks. As a result, and per the committees’ recommendations, of the 36.70 sq km of disputed territory, Assam will get 18.51 sq km and Meghalaya 18.28 sq km.
Home Minister Amit Shah added that the document’s signing settles nearly 70 percent of the border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya.